The Republic abstains from endorsing candidates for political office. We trust voters to choose wisely based on unbiased information in our news coverage. But we have stated on our Opinion page that we believe Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, is unfit to continue to serve residents in this region as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives. We have repeatedly called on Lucas to resign, thus far to no avail.
Let there be no mistake. Our objection to Lucas continuing to hold public office has nothing to do with his politics. It has everything to do with his criminality.
By now, the details of Lucas’ drunken driving, leaving the scene of a crash, and his obfuscation, arrogance and entitlement after the entire episode have become his identity in the public eye. Even now, he remains on probation, and he will remain on probation through the 2024 session of the Indiana General Assembly. It’s a disgrace, and the people of House District 69, which includes portions of Bartholomew, Jackson, Scott and Washington counties, deserve better.
Lucas’ decision to drink and drive, with marijuana in his system, we later learned, resulted in a serious crash that easily could have killed someone. This is what Lucas will be remembered for, more than anything he may have done for the people of southern Indiana. If Lucas does not realize this and continues to cling to power, it isn’t just further proof of his poor judgment, it is a disservice to the people he is supposed to represent. It’s also just plain sad.
Even in his attempts at contrition long after the facts, Lucas blames others and plays the victim. Lucas’ best play all along has been to resign, yet he selfishly refuses. Meanwhile, it is perplexing why Republican House Speaker Todd Huston has failed to hold Lucas accountable to any significant degree. That also is a disservice to Lucas’ constituents and suggests Huston lacks the mettle to deal with a rogue in his caucus.
Having said all this, if Lucas fails to step aside, the voters of House District 69 must vote him out. And now that a qualified Republican challenger has stepped forward — and made Lucas’ conduct a central issue — why on Earth would any Republican primary voter choose to return Lucas to office?
Brian Savilla of Seymour has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination and will challenge Lucas, if Lucas unwisely chooses to seek reelection. Trish Whitcomb of Seymour is so far the only candidate for the seat in the Democratic primary.
We won’t go into the relative merits of Savilla or Whitcomb, but we will say this: Neither of them is Lucas. Neither of them has a fresh criminal record. Neither of them is subject to court restrictions on his or her liberties because of reckless, dangerous crimes they pleaded guilty to only months ago.
This entire scandalous episode with Lucas ought to spur a bipartisan rallying cry for good-government advocates. It’s long past time to demand that Huston and the Indiana House of Representatives formally adopt and enforce a code of ethics for members. Toward that end, we suggest a modest proposal as a starting point. Call it the Lucas rule: If you break the law, you no longer get to make the law.
