Rubinacci vows no tax hikes, backs school plan

TERRE HAUTE — Anthony Rubinacci, the Republican nominee for Vigo County Council District 2, would have voted against the county's 2027 budget and would move to freeze the roughly 22 new positions it creates, he told a Hoosier First interviewer by phone.

"I don't want any tax increases at all. And so if there's a tax increase, I vote against it," Rubinacci said.

Rubinacci, a 2024 Indiana State University graduate, faces Democratic incumbent Nancy S. Allsup on Nov. 3. Allsup, who seconded the motion that passed the budget 4-2 on Oct. 26, was not interviewed for this story. Since January 2025, Rubinacci has worked as a field representative for U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind. He lost the 2024 Republican primary for county commissioner in District 2.

Budget and taxes

Rubinacci put the county's 2026 budget at $99 million and said spending has grown about $52 million since 2022, calling it "almost doubled." The adopted 2026 budget totals $99.2 million, according to the county's budget form. The council approved a 2022 budget of just over $71.2 million, the Tribune-Star reported, and the 2027 budget passed Oct. 26 totals $124.3 million, about $53 million, or 75%, more.

He said officials who promised to cut spending are "doing the exact same thing" they said they would not do, and that property taxes could rise by 2028 as the county feels the effects of Senate Enrolled Act 1, the state's 2025 property tax law.

The council plans to vote on the budget again at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, the state's adoption deadline, after County Auditor Larry Hutchings said the version approved Oct. 26 exceeds the $118.3 million the county advertised. A re-vote set for Thursday, Oct. 29, was canceled.

Rubinacci said he would deny tax abatements to companies that move jobs overseas or already get federal subsidies, and companies that miss hiring promises should repay the breaks. Any company tied to the Chinese Communist Party would be "automatically banned," he said. He would not give a data center an abatement, though he noted that the commissioners and zoning officials, not the council, decide whether one is built. On requiring E-Verify for county hires and contractors, he said he was open to looking into it.

Messmer job and party post

Rubinacci said he resigned as secretary of the Vigo County Republican Central Committee in February because he was running for office. "I wanted that separation," he said.

If elected, he plans to keep his job on Messmer's staff. He noted that state Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute, works for U.S. Sen. Todd Young; Goode is Young's state director. Rubinacci said he would abstain from council votes involving federal funding his office worked on.

When the interviewer asked whose side he would take if county interests split from his boss's, such as on tariffs hurting local manufacturers and farmers, Rubinacci said, "I'm on the side of the people," and said he believes Messmer is as well. He called some of the tariffs "questionable," saying the effects are showing up "at the pumps, at the grocery stores, at manufacturing sites."

Schools

Rubinacci said he would vote yes on Resolution 2026-2, which commits $15 million up front and $6 million a year for 20 years toward the Vigo County School Corp.'s consolidation plan, built around a new east-side high school estimated at $222 million. Voters rejected a $261 million high school referendum in 2022, 68.5% to 31.5%. Rubinacci said the current plan needs no referendum because it involves no tax increase, comparing it to Indiana State University paying for its own buildings. In an April questionnaire for the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, he wrote, "I endorse the School Corporations push for consolidation."

"I think we should be thinking about the kids... it's more emotional for us adults that we're going to be losing our childhood schools, but our kids won't know any difference." — Anthony Rubinacci, Republican candidate, Vigo County Council District 2

He opposes using eminent domain to take land for the new school and said transportation should drive the choice of site. He described the appointed oversight board that shaped the plan as advisory.

District 2 includes West Terre Haute, and Rubinacci is a West Vigo High School graduate. If the school board moves to close West Vigo, he said, the board should allow the west side community to charter the school.

The Terre Haute Casino Resort Foundation has pledged about $95 million toward the plan if the county makes a significant commitment by Dec. 31. Rubinacci said the current council should vote before that deadline. He cited "18 months of public meetings" and called the delay "purely for the election."

Election integrity

Rubinacci, the Republican member of the county voter registration board from 2022 to 2024 according to his LinkedIn profile, was asked about the case filed Oct. 21 in which prosecutors say a Terre Haute man who is not a citizen registered at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and voted in six elections. The defendant is presumed innocent. Rubinacci said the registration process is automated and governed by state law. "You weren't going to see that from the voter registration perspective, because it's all just on a computer screen," he said.

He said a Social Security number is required to register. Under Indiana law, applicants provide an Indiana driver's license or state ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number if they have neither, according to the 2026 Indiana Voter Registration Guidebook.

Rubinacci said he supports the federal SAVE Act. When the interviewer asked whether the county should check every new registration against a federal citizenship database, he first said "county tax dollars shouldn't be involved," calling it "a federal ask." After the interviewer pointed out that those registrants vote in local elections, he said, "I'd be open to it, I guess," and added that it "probably could be doable within the current budget."

Council conduct

After a fall of procedural fights on the council, Rubinacci said he "would require every single member of the council to read Robert's Rules of Order." He would not say whether he would back Council President Steve Ellis for president again, noting that Ellis, a candidate for sheriff, "could end up being sheriff."

Donor reports

The interviewer asked whether he would publish his donors before Nov. 3. Rubinacci said, "They're already published." He said the reports are on file at the courthouse absentee office, where Jennifer Lewis can provide them.

Early voting ends at noon Monday, Nov. 2, at the Vigo County Annex. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and voters in District 2's 21 precincts, from West Terre Haute and New Goshen to Prairieton and downtown Terre Haute, will choose who represents them. Registration and voting locations are listed at indianavoters.in.gov.