Ross Thomas

Ross Thomas lives and was born in Columbus, Indiana. He earned a degree in political economy from Tulane University in 1992 and a law degree from Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis in 1994. Thomas' career experience includes maintaining his own law practice.[1] Thomas is affiliated with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association, the Indiana Bar Association, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) National Legal Committee. He is chairman of the Legal Redress Committee for the Columbus/Bartholomew County chapter of the NAACP.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an attorney and small business owner living in Columbus, Indiana, with my wife and 3 children. I grew up on a farm in Jennings County and attending public schools there. I attended Tulane University on a scholarship and received a BA in Political Economy in 1992. I returned to Indiana and worked my way through Indiana University School of Law- Indianapolis, receiving my law degree in 1994. I have practiced law in Indiana since that time and own and operate my own law firm based in Indianapolis. I am chairman of the Bartholomew County Democratic Party and a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and have served on the Legal Redress Committee of the Columbus/Bartholomew County NAACP. I also serve of the Youth Baseball Board for the Columbus Parks and Rec. baseball program and am a long time coach.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Nearly 20 years of Republican control of Indiana state government has left us near the bottom in many, many categories, often ranking last in quality of life. We rank at or near the bottom in water and air pollution; public health funding, overall health and infant mortality; teacher pay and wages, to name a few. We can do better by focusing tax policy on helping working people while insuring that rich folks and big corporations pay their fair share, by investing in public schools and choosing rate payers over utility companies and communities over data centers. Our priorities should be public schools and higher wages, not sweetheart deals for big business and paying for the wealthy top send their children to private schools.Indiana Republicans are the party of "less government" and "individual freedom," yet they seem obsessed with public restrooms, where you choose to worship, what books you read and what goes on in your bedroom and your doctor's office. I think when it comes to personal decisions that have nothing to do with me, I should mind my own business. I think the state government should do the same.Public schools are under attack in this state. Massive cuts in funding, combined with a ridiculous voucher system that forces taxpayers to pay private school tuition for millionaires, have left us with large class sizes, cuts in programs and among the lowest teacher pay in the country. We need to make public education a priority. It is the hub of our communities and a cornerstone of vibrant economy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe we should fully fund public schools, fix our broken childcare system and make sure that tax dollars are used to improve the quality of life for our communities, not just line the pockets of lobbyists and billion dollar corporations.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Former US Senator Paul Wellstone has always been the politician I have tried to pattern myself after in politics.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and independence.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To make sure that the state government is working to make the lives of working people better and improving our quality of life while making sure that taxes are fair and not burdensome.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be remembered as honest and as someone that did what I thought was right, even when powerful people were pressuring me to do the wrong thing.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I grew up on a farm, so I was working to help on the farm pretty much my whole childhood, but my first job was as a cook at ehe Pizza Hut in North Vernon when I was 15. I worked there through the end of high school.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My father lost a long uninsured battle with cancer when I was a teenager, so I had to work my way through school and like a lot of people, struggled financially when I was starting out.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Ideally the governor and the legislature should find common ground and work toward common goals.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

If we stay on our current track, our greatest challenge will be dealing with closed hospitals, underfunded police and fire departments and the worst public schools in America.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely. As long as the parties are acting in good faith and you aren't compromising your core principles, compromise is almost always necessary to get anything done.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Indiana Stonewall Democrats, Indiana Reproductive Freedom PAC

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

I was born in 1969, I think Watergate is the first thing I had some memory of as a kid.

Ross Thomas did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Ross Thomas is a 52 year old attorney from Columbus, Indiana. Ross grew up on a farm in Jennings County where he attended public schools, graduating from Jennings Co. High school in 1988. He received a degree in Political Economy from Tulane University in 1992 and his law degree from Indiana University in 1994. He owns and operates his own law practice in Indianapolis.

Ross lives in Columbus with he wife Amy and their 3 children, Joe, Henry and Claudia and their cat Arlene. He is chairman of the Legal Redress Committee of the local chapter of the NAACP and he is a longtime coach and administrator of the Columbus Parks and Recreation Dept. Youth Baseball Program.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a strong supporter of public education and public school teachers.I believe in helping working families by supporting a living wage, affordable child care, paid family leave and the right of workers to organize.I support the legalization of medical cannabis for all Hoosiers and the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana for adults in Indiana.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The most important role the state legislature plays in our daily lives is in funding and supporting public education. Unfortunately public education and public school teachers are not a priority for the Republican supermajority in Indiana. I support increased funding and better pay for teachers, reducing or eliminating our reliance on standardized testing and ending the widespread use of vouchers that take money out of our public schools.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

In politics, I would say the person I looked up to most was the late Senator Paul Wellstone, a man known for his honesty and passion for helping working people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, humility and empathy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would hope to leave a legacy as someone that worked hard, told the truth and could be counted on to lend a hand when the chips were down.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I'm 52, so there have been a lot of historical events in that time. I'd say Watergate and the fall of Saigon are probable the first "historical events" that I have a real memory of when I was 5 or 6 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I grew up on our farm and as farm kids know, you've pretty much got a job from the time you can walk helping on the farm. My first job "in town" started when I was 16 making pizza at the North Vernon Pizza Hut and I worked there until the end of high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson. It is a book by my favorite author on my favorite subjects, history and politics.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Indiana's greatest challenge in the next decade is undoubtedly going to be pushing back on the frontal assault on public education and public school teachers. I believe education is the most important component of strong communities and a thriving economy. Unfortunately the Republican supermajority in Indiana has for years shown nothing but contempt for public schools and demonstrated how little they value and respect public school teachers. Their efforts to expand voucher programs to take money out of public schools and give it to private schools and for-profit charter schools is a failed policy that has lead to corruption and a weakening of our public schools. I want to invest in public schools and pay teachers like the professionals they are, rather than using taxpayers' dollars to subsidize private schools.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor an independent commission that creates districts follow geographic boundaries as much as possible, without an eye to giving one party or the other a political advantage. Ideally, creating districts that are as close to "50/50" as possible are best for democracy and voter participation.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Education and Criminal Justice

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Of course compromise is necessary in reaching consensus and passing legislation. The excesses of the republican supermajority in the state legislature are a perfect example of the disastrous results that occur when one party has absolute power. That being said everyone should have core principles and ideals which should never be compromised. Ethics, fairness and equality should never be sacrificed for politics.