Ronald Saunders III

I'm a firefighter/EMT with the Indianapolis Fire Department and lives in Westfield with his wife and two daughters. I graduated from Pike High School and earned my Bachelors of Science in Legal Studies from Indiana State University. Prior to becoming a firefighter, I served as an educator and an administer at a state government agency.

• I want every Hoosier's voice to be heard at the table.
• Every citizen should have equal protection under law.
• All residents of Indiana should have access to health care, no matter of employer or employment status.

I want to ensure that all Hoosiers have access to excellent public schools where the focus is quality education not standardized testing; a quality public education system is fundamental to ensuring Indiana's future economic successes. I also would ensure that our health programs, specifically Healthy Indiana Plan, are being used to protect our most vulnerable citizens, including children and individuals with mental health concerns and I am committed to reducing the cost of health insurance premiums and costs, including drug costs, and finding a solution to our healthcare structure that doesn't tie someone's insurance to their employment. I believe that Hoosiers deserve the fullest protection of our laws, especially from people who would do them harm simply because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, or race-there is work to do to strengthen our bias crime bill into a comprehensive hate crimes bill. I support common sense gun reform.

My grandfather Henry Jordan because of work ethic and the importance of family. Dr Martin Luther King Jr because of his steadfast pursuit of equality and justice for all people in all aspects of our society. Incidentally, these men share the same birth date.

I remember watching the Challenger space shuttle tragedy on TV with my dad. I was only 4 years old at the time but I remember it really scaring me. I didn't want to ride in airplanes after that and didn't until I was 21 years old.

My very first job was at Kroger where I regathered carts and bagged groceries; I was 15 years old. Two months later, I turned 16 and started working at Arby's in the same plaza with the Kroger and worked through high school and the summer between my first and second years of college.

I do believe that it can be helpful but I don't believe that it is a requirement. I think that people with good ideas and a willingness to work hard for all citizens are what our legislative bodies need. They should be informed and in touch with what their constituents are seeking from representatives.

I believe that climate change is the greatest challenge that will are and will continue to face. Indiana is a mostly rural state with approximately 23 million acres of farmland; these supply food not only to Hoosiers but to many people across the country and it would behoove us to not invest in preparing all of our industries, including farmers, for better innovation regarding renewable and clean energy while safeguarding all citizen from extreme weather events.

There should be a partnership between the legislature and the governor. Our ultimate goal is to do right by the citizens who elected us. The governor should provide the leadership that the state needs while the legislators bring the issues of their constituents to the Assembly floor and advocate for their causes.

It is absolutely imperative to build relationships with other legislators because there is no way that business will get done otherwise. Also, no one person or party has a monopoly on good ideas-collaboration is key for all perspectives to be seen and have value when crafting solutions.

I believe that there should be a non-partisan commission that is independent of the legislative and executive branches. I would like to see a commission that is made up of equal members of the two major parties but they be elected by the people and not appointed by the governor.

Education & Career Development Committee, Energy & Environmental Affairs Committee, Judiciary Committee, Pensions & Labor Committee, Utilities & Labor Committee

I'm not a current legislator but if asked to serve in leadership, I would gladly and willingly do so.

I like Cory Booker and his style of nose-to-grindstone, getting to work for the people. A couple of Hoosier legislators whom I admire are former Gov Evan Bayh and Rep Karlee Macer; both are pragmatic and relatable people who are good at working with people from all walks of life and showed empathy when interacting with constituents.

Not at this time, I would like to just focus on representing the people of my district.