Woody Myers in 2020 IN Gubernatorial race
On Education:
We can take a hard look at our voucher program
We can empower our public schools by giving them the resources and funding needed to provide a high-quality education to all students. We can take a hard look at our voucher program; while school choice has a place in our education system, the current
program is not serving us well. It has created more demand for limited resources, reducing the funding available for classroom instruction and teacher salaries. We should make transparency and accountability a priority.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Education:
We need multiple pathways to obtain good-paying jobs
Indiana currently ranks among the 10 worst states in educational attainment and lacks the appropriate policies to support learners who haven't fared well in college. Our population demands multiple pathways to obtain good-paying jobs whether through
a college degree, a certificate, apprenticeship, or vocational training. We aren't prepared to withstand the pressures of automation and its squeeze on jobs that's predicted for the future, with too many workers in dead end jobs vulnerable to loss.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Energy & Oil:
State is a big polluter, that needs to change
We must reduce the effects of climate change on our residents and businesses. As a manufacturing-rich state, we use a lot of energy--most of it supplied by fossil fuels. Our state has a reputation as a big polluter and that needs to change. We
cannot continue to destroy our environment or prop up dying industries because we're afraid of change. We can protect our environment by transitioning our workforce away from fossil fuels to good-paying jobs in renewable and sustainable energy sources.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Energy & Oil:
Indiana must shift to renewable energy to meet our needs
Indiana must become more energy efficient and shift to more renewable energy to meet our electricity needs and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As Governor,
I'll update Indiana's renewable energy standards and set a new clean energy goal to renew our commitment to a cleaner future. I'll inventory our greenhouse gas emissions and develop realistic reduction targets just as 22 other states have done.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Health Care:
Now is the time to put a doctor in the Governor's Office
Increasing health care costs are a drag on Indiana's economy and put a strain on household budgets. It's time we fix these problems. We can address our high rate of chronic disease through less costly measures focused on prevention. We can reduce
maternal and infant mortality through better education and access to health care. We can keep the public safe and healthy during a public health crisis, with better management and planning. Now is the time to put a doctor in the Governor's Office.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Jobs:
Diversify our economy, improve business environment
While Indiana's economy is growing and more people are working, not everyone is prospering. I'll immediately work to diversify our economy so we're less susceptible to economic downturns and labor force disruptions. I'll implement policies to improve
our business environment, with a focus on recruiting businesses that bring good-paying jobs to all parts of the state and supporting existing businesses with retention policies that help them remain competitive.
Source: 2020 Indiana governor campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Mar 25, 2020
On Education:
For higher teacher pay & better testing model for students
Myers leaped on the governor for the pitiful way the state treats its teachers.
He called for higher teacher pay and a better testing model for students. He also supported increasing the smoking age to 21 and curbing layoffs that have upended middle-class families.
Source: Evansville Courier & Press on 2020 Indiana governor race
Mar 2, 2020
On Health Care:
Would not trade our system for Canada's or England's
As far as healthcare, he vehemently expressed support for the current system in a 2008 interview with Indiana journalist Brian Howey. "My conclusion is
I would not trade our system for any system, anywhere else in the world, including Canada (and) England," he said then.
Source: Evansville Courier & Press on 2020 Indiana governor race
Mar 2, 2020
On Health Care:
Controversial & brief tenure as NYC Health Commissioner
There's one job Myers doesn't highlight in his campaign literature: his short, tumultuous tenure as New York City Health Commissioner. According to the New York Times, then-Mayor David Dinkins appointed Myers to the job in 1990, just after he left
Indiana. Ana Dumois, executive director of the Community Family Planning Council, told the Times that Myers was "aloof" and in over his head. Citing family health problems, Myers resigned on May 28, 1991.
Source: Evansville Courier & Press on 2020 Indiana governor race
Mar 2, 2020
On Civil Rights:
Fought to keep teenage boy with AIDS in school after banning
Woody made history when appointed as Indiana's youngest State Health Commissioner. Dr. Myers worked every day to improve maternal and child health, chronic disease control, childhood immunization, and preventive healthcare services.
Woody helped make Indiana a leader in AIDS education and gained national recognition when he fought to keep Ryan White--a teenage boy with AIDS--in school when his school district banned him from attending classes following his diagnosis.
Source: 2020 Indiana gubernatorial campaign website DrWoodyMyers.com
Dec 31, 2019
On Education:
Boost teacher pay, increase access to vocational schools
He criticized the state's recent tax cuts for corporations and financial institutions. He discussed boosting teacher pay and increasing access to vocational schools and community colleges.
"Teachers are leaving our state in record numbers, students are being forced to deal with overcrowded classrooms and less individual attention, and it's wrong that music classes and art classes are becoming optional."
Source: Indianapolis Star on 2020 Indiana gubernatorial race
Dec 31, 2019
On Drugs:
Allow some level of marijuana use; not recreational sales
Marijuana legalization looms as a likely campaign issue for the 2020 statewide elections. The three Democrats seeking to challenge Holcomb's reelection bid--state
Sen. Eddie Melton of Gary, former state health commissioner Woody Myers and tech business executive Josh Owens--all support allowing some level of marijuana use, although Myers opposes recreational sales.
Source: Associated Press on WGN-TV on 2020 Indiana governor race
Dec 14, 2019
On Education:
Higher teacher pay; end unnecessary administrative burdens
Many of those I spoke with have advanced degrees but are not making enough to support their families without second jobs. They are burdened by unnecessary licensing requirements. They are frustrated by standardized tests that do not accurately
measure students and their progress. Far too often our teachers are acting as mental health counselors for their students because there are not enough social workers and others to meet student needs. Education in our state has reached crisis mode.
We ask our teachers to work incredibly hard to give our children a stable foundation for the future. But that's hard to do when their own financial futures are rocky, and their attention is divided by a second job. We MUST do better.
As your next governor, I pledge to work with the General Assembly to ensure more state funds make it into public school teacher pockets- and that unnecessary administrative burdens are removed. I am with Indiana's teachers.
Source: Anderson Herald-Bulletin on 2020 Indiana gubernatorial race
Nov 26, 2019
On Education:
Pay teachers what they deserve; future depends on it
Myers said education is one of the areas he will focus on the most, saying "we'll stop
cutting education and start paying our teachers what they deserve because our teachers are worth it, and the future of the state depends on it."
Source: TheStateHouseFile.com on 2020 Indiana gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2019
On Jobs:
We deserve best schools, health care, state creating jobs
Myers said, "I learned very early in my career that the people with the best health were the people who got the best health care. The people with the best insurance are the people with the best jobs. And the people with the best jobs are the people
with the best education. All Hoosiers deserve the best schools, the best health care and a state that is creating jobs and opportunities for workers and their families faster than wages are rising."
Source: WTHR TV on 2020 Indiana gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
AdWatch: End tax cuts for Big Oil; invest in clean energy
Congressman Andre Carson is asking the president to stop buying oil to fill the strategic petroleum reserve which he says is already filled to 96 percent capacity.Another candidate in the 7th district is already making the point on gas prices.
Dr. Woody Myers has a commercial running stating his position: "In Congress I'll get rid of the George Bush tax cuts for the big oil and gas companies and use the money to invest in clear energy and fuel efficient cars."
Source: WTHR-13 NBC-TV AdWatch on 2020 Indiana gubernatorial race
Apr 14, 2008
Page last updated: Apr 19, 2020