Relevant to a candidate for public office are her/his: a) qualifications, in general & for the specific office; & b) prior statements about policies/issues as well as how s/he will approach the office. Micah Beckwith [FN1] comes up short on “a” and “b.” 1/11

a) Beckwith never has held elective office. Her/his only public office was on the board of trustees of HEPL, [FN2] an item not on Beckwith’s campaign website. [FN3] Beckwith’s time on HEPL though short [FN4] was highly publicized. Beckwith pushed a policy to remove books 2/11

from a young adults’ section of the collections. Fishers, Indiana, and Hamilton County were held up to national ridicule. [FN5] Money from the library budget was wasted. Beckwith, no longer in a majority, quit. Beckwith’s so proud of that work, it’s not on the campaign website. 3/11

b) Beckwith promises a spite-filled log jam. In 2023, Beckwith promised to be a “‘thorn’ in the side of whichever governor” was nominee. [FN6] The IN Constitution does not confer upon Lt Gov a “check” on the Gov’s power that is antithetical to the concept of checks & balances. 4/11

Madison: the greatest security against concentration of “powers in the same department consists in giving to those who administer each department ... means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others.” [FN7] Maybe Beckwith will throw tantrums. 5/11

Beckwith does not do well w/voters. He was appointed to HEPL. He recruited people to run to be delegates to the State convention & even then failed to win by a landslide. On job skills? He was more concerned w/publicity than functions of the .libraries at HEPL. [FN8] 6/11

Footnotes:
FN1. Beckwith is the magaGOP nominee for IN LT Gov on the Braun/Beckwith ticket. ” on the ticket (i.e., nominee for IN Gov). Voters cannot split their vote in the gen’l election. Democratic Party ticket is McCormick/Goodin. Libertarian Party ticket is Rainwater/Hudson. 7/11

Footnotes:
FN2. Hamilton East Public Library.
FN3. micahbeckwith.com Last accessed 08/28/24. 8/11

Footnotes:
FN4. Beckwith’s appointment was not on the agenda or made aware to the public in September 2022. (Rudolph, change.org, 02/25/23) Beckwith resigned 01/10/24. Maudlin, Elissa, “Micah Beckwith resigns from Hamilton East Public Library Board,” Current, 01/15/24. 9/11

Footnotes:
FN5. “After drawing national scorn for their book review policy the board of Hamilton East Public Library has reversed their decision to transfer more than 1,300 books out of the Young Adult section...” WIBC, 08 /26/23. 10/11

Footnotes:
FN6. Wren, Adam, “Confessions of an (alleged) book banner,” Importantville, 09/24/2023.
FN7. The Federalist No.51 (James Madison) 11/11