The site was the Hagerman Group Building in Fishers, and the One Zone
Chamber of Commerce (merged Fishers & Carmel Chambers) sponsored an awards event featuring Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce handed Senator Donnelly its Spirit of Enterprise Award, lauding the senator for voting with the chamber 88% of the time, measured by key Senate votes.

Senator Donnelly talked at length about the “economic boom” in Fishers and how it has impacted communities nearby.  He said the city of Anderson has found that many people with ties to that area are working in Fishers and staying close to friends and family by living in the Anderson area.

“Your (Fishers) success has touched so many other communities, that reach has spread out everywhere,” Donnelly told the Chamber audience.

The senator complimented local leaders in creating the “extraordinary” economic success Fishers has experienced.  “What you did was hard work, what you did was just keep your head down, plan and build,” said Donnelly.  “At the end of the day, what you’ve done has been made it so that all of our young people want to stay here.”

Senator Donnelly touched on a number of other issues during his One Zone Chamber talk:

–He plans to work with his Republican colleague Lamar Alexander to fix the health care marketplaces after the Affordable Care Act repeal failed in the Senate.

–He wants to work on tax reform but explained how difficult it can be to form enough support to enact any specific tax plan.

–The senator plans to continue working on making federal regulation more “sensible.”

–He spoke at length about his subcommittee assignment that deals with North Korea, and his blunt message to Chinese officials in a recent visit there that a solution must be found to diffuse that situation.  But he assured the crowd that the American military is ready to take on any challenges, including threats made against the U.S. territory of Guam.

–He touched on the situation last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia and the threat to the nation posed by neo-Nazi groups.

–Discussed the challenges of funding road infrastructure projects through the gasoline tax when vehicles are much more fuel-efficient, and some use no gasoline at all.