LINCOLN DAY SPEAKERS — Indiana’s Secretary of State Connie Lawson and Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, pictured at left, were speakers during the annual
Kosciusko County Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday evening. Lawson, four weeks
into her new position, noted it was an easy decision to accept the nomination, but was saddened to leave the legislation and the good
legislators who have been sent. She pointed out the Secretary of State is the chief election officer and is glad of her experience as a county clerk to lend a hand to prepare for the primary election. She noted there have been 36,000 absentee ballots requested and not on track with 2008 with 185,000 requests and 2010 with 95,000 but there is three-weeks still to go.

Lawson mentioned the three other divisions of her office: business services, securities and auto dealers divisions, and 80 employees who stayed and took their raps. She encouraged individuals to get out the vote with the primary having crucial results.

Bosma was the keynote speaker using several stories, including two from his life, to make points. He recapped a few highlights from the last general assembly and related how two years ago on Father’s Day he learned more of his father’s military experience beyond his reply of “I just did my duty” adding what he asked individuals to do today is to “do their duty,” as a candidate or voter so the children can be as successful as they can be, and telling of a teaching opportunity with his daughter years ago when traffic was stalled while an individual pushed another man in a wheelchair across eight lanes of traffic in Indianapolis and how he needed someone. Her response some time later of “I would push him,” was related to how each person needed to do his/her duty and do the pushing when seeing someone in need. (Photos and information by Staff Writer Deb Patterson)