Elkhart County will be represented by a new face from Senate District 12 in the Legislature come January, but the background of our newest state senator will be in education, regardless of who wins Nov. 4.

Incumbent State Sen. Marvin Riegsecker, R-Goshen, decided not to seek another term and died earlier this month after a battle with cancer. Republican Carlin Yoder and Democrat Don Metzler-Smith, former chairman of the county's Democratic Party, are vying to replace the veteran senator in Indianapolis.

Both are educators. Yoder has been a teacher in public and alternative schools and is a private school administrator. Metzler-Smith has been a government teacher and offers a professional tutoring service and serves as an adjunct instructor at Ivy Tech.

Here's where the two stand on the issues:

PROPERTY TAXES

Metzler-Smith does not support making property tax caps permanent through a constitutional amendment. "Because as a government teacher, I don't see the equity," he said. "Also, the caps are hurting public schools, cities and towns, and of course, I'm against that. I would not advocate for a cap on taxes."

He said Indiana is ranked 37th in the nation in property taxes. "It's not a high level of property taxes Indiana residents are paying," Metzler-Smith said.

The problem is in the assessments, he added. "It's erratic. Assessment has to be reformed," he said, noting that it's not a statewide problem.

He said he would advocate for property tax money to stay local, rather than to go to the state for redistribution, because local governments have to borrow money until they can get their tax payments from the state. He wants to see more local control, he said.

Yoder said he wants to see the general public make the decision on whether tax caps should be made permanent.

"I think there's some tweaking that needs to be done there," he said. "The caps aren't where they need to be."

But, Yoder added, it's still early, and he wants to see where they are economically. He said he believes the caps are on the right path, however. "I am concerned that the caps are not equal across the board. I think there are some challenges there from the business side of things."

He explained that he would like to see the 3 percent business cap dropped. He also noted that the Legislature will need to look at assessments.

ECONOMY

Yoder said the economy is the most important issue facing the state in the next four years. He said Indiana needs to be at the forefront of new growth and diversifying business and jobs.

The Legislature can help by providing tax incentives and retraining for those who lose their jobs, Yoder said. "As a Legislature, we need to continue to find ways to encourage business to come into the area," he said.

"I think we need to be very vocal at the state level from northern Indiana to say we need help and we need assistance from the state," he said of bringing jobs to Elkhart County. "Have they done enough? I don't know if they've done enough or not, but they need to do more."

He said the state has a "huge" role in economic development by working on fair trade with other countries, as Gov. Mitch Daniels as done. "They need to put the pieces in place so local businesses, small businesses, can survive and thrive and work within the free markets," Yoder said.

That can happen with tax incentives, keeping regulations at a "smart minimum" and by "allowing businesses the freedom to do what they need to do to thrive and provide job growth," he said.

"Why can't Indiana be the Silicon Valley of the Midwest?" Metzler-Smith asked.

Echoing gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson, he said the state needs to create a climate conducive to bringing in industry, including research and development for the 21st century, as well as to create a work force ready to support that industry.

The General Assembly can help fund education of the work force, including fully funding Ivy Tech, he said.

Metzler-Smith said the state hasn't done enough to bring jobs to Elkhart County. "This training money is a start, but it doesn't pay rent. It doesn't pay child care. The students I work with need to pay their bills while they go to school," he said. "I'd like to see that happen in Elkhart County and elsewhere."

GAMBLING

Metzler-Smith is against the expansion of state-sponsored gambling. "Since it's here, I'd like to see it put to practical use," he said.

He said he would have to study privatization of the lottery to raise money for education or other purposes. "I'm not sure relying on lottery funding to make sure schools are properly funded is a good idea," he said. "I'd have to be taught otherwise."

Yoder said he is against the expansion of gambling. "The less that government is involved in gambling, the better off we are," he said, noting, however, that he would "be inclined" to look at privatization of the lottery. "The other side of the coin ... privatizing could mean an expansion of gambling. ... I do not support that."

IMMIGRATION

"I do agree it's a federal issue," Yoder said. "Unfortunately, the federal guys aren't really doing a whole lot with it. ... As long as they don't take care of it ... I think we have to do something about it."

"We have to be a little careful about how we approach this," he said.

He said there are possibilities in a bill that would hold businesses accountable. However, "I don't think we can ever expect businesses to play police for us."

Yoder added that it's unfair to expect businesses to use a federal check system that's flawed.

"If the state helps to assimilate these people with worker visas, then I would vote for that," Metzler-Smith said. "I think that's the role of the state to try to encourage assimilation and to encourage registering undocumented workers."

"I would not support anything that makes the work force and employers enforce anything the federal government should enforce," he said, noting he does not support bills that penalize employers for the failings of the E-Verify system.

"I work with the kids who are running the streets and I want them to be part of our community," Metzler-Smith said, noting they join gangs because of hopelessness. "If we do something to help those families and those kids to be part of the community" it will help crime as well.

"It may not be a very popular stance, but I think it's reality," he said.

EDUCATION

Metzler-Smith said he got into the race because the biggest issue facing Indiana in the next four years is education. The dropout rate in the state is close to 60 percent, he said. "We can't lose that human potential," he said.

He said the General Assembly needs to fully fund public schools and that class sizes need to be reduced. Students also need mentoring, Metzler-Smith said.

In terms of keeping tuition lower at state colleges and universities, Metzler-Smith said the Legislature can allocate funds to make campuses conducive to keeping students in-state. "Our real problem is brain drain as far as Hoosier students go," he said.

Yoder said more than half of the state's budget goes into education and he questions why we're not getting better results. He said the state needs to look at "giving teachers more ability to control their classrooms," more say and additional pay. He wants to see more people in the work force encouraged to become teachers.

"We've got to allow teachers to be creative in their classrooms," Yoder said, noting that they should be allowed to instill discipline. He wants to work with the administration and the Indiana State Teachers Association to provide solutions for that. "It's gotten out of control."

He wants to "get aggressive with frivolous lawsuits" and to "push principals and administrators to back teachers." Money will be an issue, he agreed, and "the next year or two is going to be pretty instrumental."

He said there can't be a lot of cuts to education, so they will have to be found elsewhere in the budget. "I'm not sure I have the answer to that yet," Yoder said. "There are going to be parts of the budget that will feel the sting of this economy."