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Civics education bill is the best bill this year

Civics education bill is the best bill this year

by Michael Leppert | Feb 19, 2021 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life

For regular readers of my column, it should be no surprise that I am unimpressed with the Civics IQ of most people around here. It is a common thread through much of my writing. That entire group of “regular readers,” literally dozens of people all over...
Activism: It isn’t just aimed at government anymore

Activism: It isn’t just aimed at government anymore

by Michael Leppert | Jul 31, 2020 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life

Activism is definitely not what it used to be. Look, I went to college and studied government. After graduation, I worked for the government for more than a decade and have now done government consulting for almost two. So, for thirty years, when I would hear someone...
Thirty days of Indiana choices with no Attorney General to make them

Thirty days of Indiana choices with no Attorney General to make them

by Michael Leppert | May 15, 2020 | Politics/Government

Why bother electing the attorney general if we don’t need him, or her for a month? I know, I know. Some will say, “there goes that crazy columnist again…” when I write about the collapse of another institution due to an unqualified holder of...
Indiana has now lost both of its Attorneys General

Indiana has now lost both of its Attorneys General

by Michael Leppert | May 3, 2019 | Politics/Government

First it was Jeff Sessions’ recusal. Then it was Curtis Hill’s groping. Now it is William Barr’s abdication. That is a lot of trouble for a group of “generals.” It is a job that should be attracting Eagle Scouts, not partisans. These people should...
Bias crimes law in a list of three easy steps

Bias crimes law in a list of three easy steps

by Michael Leppert | Feb 22, 2019 | Politics/Government

It’s just not that hard. A cynic might think the Indiana General Assembly is making it hard on purpose. Innocent members of the public might think there is something real to disagree about on hate crimes legislation. I’m not one of those people. For those...
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Pence and Trump Take Their Oaths
Holcomb Federal Health Care Bill
Indiana Anti-Abortion Law is Halted
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Keeping the Big Ten Network on the Air

One of Mr. Leppert’s successful projects was his media campaign on behalf of the Big Ten Network in its dispute with cable formats for broad distribution of the network during its start-up years. He wrote and distributed press releases, organized supporters to attend press conferences and traveled the state for media events with both Mark Silverman, the original president of the network and Jim Delany, the long-time commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. Silverman has since moved into an executive position at Fox Sports, and Delany has announced his retirement in June of this year. The media output and related responses to it were vital in moving the stalled discussions to a mutually beneficial resolution between the network and cable formats. The Big Ten Network is distributed widely today and is a model for college sports networks.

The three of us were only flagged for speeding one time during the campaign, fittingly on State Road 37, while racing between press conferences at IU and downtown Indianapolis.

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Moving Indiana Forward with Bias Crimes Legislation

Mr. Leppert was engaged by the United Way of Central Indiana to design and implement the campaign in 2018-19 for the passage of new hate/bias crime legislation in Indiana. The foundation of this coalition was built by joining two organizations, the Indiana Alliance Against Hate, and Indiana Competes. After several years of resistance in the Indiana General Assembly, specifically since the RFRA session of 2015, this campaign was the catalyst to passage of the new law and removing Indiana from the list of only five states without hate crimes legislation.

More than 800 members of the smaller merged entities were mobilized. Press events were held throughout the state. Editorial boards were visited. Letter writing and phone banking strategies were implemented. The management of this large group, and the short timeframe available to make our impact was an experience. While the law enacted by the legislature did not include all of the protected classes our coalition sought for inclusion, the establishment of hate or bias as statutory consideration in sentencing was established for many classes. Our campaign proved successful.

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Adjunct Professor

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Master of Science in Communications (MSC)

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