At this month’s meeting of the Builder’s Assocation of Southeastern Indiana, special guests State Rep. Cleo Duncan (R-Greensburg) and Republican candidate for State Senate Jeff Sponsel (R-Shelbyville) put in appearances and shared a few words of .

“I’ve been pro-housing from the very beginning,” Duncan said. “The homebuilder’s groups have been welcoming from the very beginning when I first ran for office.”

Duncan added that she understood economic development in the area is often tied to the housing situation.

“I want to do anything I can to help. I know the housing industry is tough now,” she said.

Duncan also noted that with the future introduction of the Honda plant in Greensburg, commuting to work from homes outside the immediate area may create problems due to high gas prices. With more fuel efficient cars and the emergence of alternative fuels, gas price issues may not dissipate in the near future. Duncan claimed many roads are funded through gas taxes. Without a steady stream of funds from the gas taxes, the money will have to come from another source.

“There are many parts to the whole puzzle,” she said.

Duncan added that with the booming Greensburg economy and flowering job opportunities, the housing market in the city is likely to rise.

“They will be buying locally and living closer to work,” she explained.

Duncan, however, chose not to stand idly by while market forces decide the fate of the housing community.

“This was a monumental legislative session,” she said. “For many years, Indiana has relied heavily on property taxes.”

Duncan has taken a lead role in the discussion of lowering property taxes beginning in 2008, and according to her, that should help with the home-building in the area.

“I want to help reduce property taxes and encourage people to build homes,” she concluded.

Sponsel picked up where Duncan left off. According to Sponsel, when he noticed his three daughters were going to college and getting degrees in fields that would likely not allow them to come back to their home town to work, he had to take action.

“I’ve tried to fix-up the town of Shelbyville to get people to come back to small towns,” he said. “A lot of my personal experience doing that relates to the homebuilder’s association.”

Sponsel went on to say that he would strive to preserve the way of life like the one in Greensburg, while at the same time maintaining growth.