The Indiana State Building and Construction Trades Council, the umbrella organization representing Indiana’s Building Trades Unions has unanimously endorsed former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, a Democrat, for Indiana Attorney General.
In June, the council endorsed the re-election of Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, noting Holcomb’s strong record of job creation, infrastructure investment, and worker training.
Similarly, in endorsing Weinzapfel, the council noted his record of accomplishment as mayor of Evansville, including building a downtown arena in the middle of a recession putting thousands of local tradespeople to work. “As mayor, Weinzapfel started the transformation of the Evansville riverfront from beyond that of a simple riverboat. His record of economic development and job creation demonstrates he is a man of vision and action,” observed Pete Rimsans, the council’s executive director. Rimsans added, “As attorney general, we know Jonathan Weinzapfel will be there fighting to protect our wages, promoting safe working conditions, and keeping our members and their families safe.”
Weinzapfel was deputy commissioner of the Indiana Department of Labor under then-Governor Frank O’Bannon, where he oversaw the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars for working Hoosiers from instances ranging from wage disputes to wage theft. That’s also where Weinzapfel became familiar with the child labor laws that he championed as a state representative.
According to Rimsans, “whether it’s enforcing laws or leading a government, Weinzapfel has a great legal mind and the determination of a pitbull. He’s a proven leader, and he’ll make an outstanding attorney general.”
