Video Transcript:
Announcement: [00:00:00] Welcome to Healing With Human Connection, where we have encouraging conversations about tough topics such as substance abuse, drug addiction, and mental health issues for those in the Northwest Indiana area. Our hope is to share information that will guide you to resources that can help you change your life so that you can live the life you were meant to live.
Announcement: Check out our website, www.healingwithconnection.com to find a full transcript of today's conversation along with the list of any resources or links mentioned in this episode. Enjoy the show.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Hello everyone. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Uh, welcome to Healing with Human Connection, where we bring you information and resources regarding mental health issues and substance abuse issues.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: I'm Jeanne Ann Cannon. I'm a therapist and a certified life coach. I deal with individuals and families regards to [00:01:00] couples counseling, relationships, transitions in life, all kinds of stuff. Um, I also see clients in person and online. And our other host is Ms. Lisa Scheller. Lisa is a life and health coach, and she and her husband
Jeanne Ann Cannon: wrote a fabulous book called From Fear to Faith that is about substance abuse and actually recovery with alcoholism. And it is outstanding, Ms. Lisa.
Lisa Scheller: Yes, absolutely. So, um, as Jeanne Ann had mentioned, it has to do with, you know, um, addiction, recovery and Grace, a family's journey. And we just share that, you know, our family went through this, it's a family disease and how we came out on the other side and now our ministry is to help others that are going on, going through this and to walk alongside them.
Lisa Scheller: And I'm very blessed that, you know, God put this in our, um, walk and um, that we get to share that. So yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wonderful. Thanks Lisa. And we are so excited. Honestly, Angie, and we know you're [00:02:00] so busy. We are so excited to have Miss Angie Nelson Deuitch, who is actually running for mayor, but we've known Angie for years.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: As many people in the community has because of her all kinds of work, and not only with NPSCO, and you did for Dunebrook, you did our diversity, our training.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I was on the board years ago.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes. Oh my God.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So Angie, we are just lucky to have Angie in our community.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So we're very excited to have you here, Angie.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Welcome. Welcome.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Well, thank you. Thank you. And I, and I would like to say too, you know, our family, you know, my dad struggled with drug addiction.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, was a functioning and sometimes non-functioning. Um, you know, he, his journey, you know, impacted all of us.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, and, and it impacted the way, um, where we lived and impacted
Angie Nelson Deuitch: you know, why we are who we are today.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think, um, people don't empathize enough with the journey that, um, the family endures as [00:03:00] well, so I, I totally understand.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. And also being a caregiver, you know, for my dad before he, before he passed away. So I, I get it. And um, and I always share that story with folks because I think people need to understand that it is not something that they're doing alone.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, and that, it doesn't dictate your, your future walk.
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, so I commend you for that.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Thank you, thank you. Thank you for actually talking about that. And same with my father, and that's really why I'm in this line of work now, but..
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: It does, um, it changes us, uh, and we learn from it.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And you, as Angie talked about, very empathetic toward the issue. And the exciting part is, as I'm sure you did, you learned from it and grew and were a great support to your dad and great support to your family. And now look at you running for mayor.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Hey, it's what it is.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yay!
Lisa Scheller: So this is exciting.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes, it is. It is.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So why don't you just start [00:04:00] out a little bit, Angie, about telling us about you and your background a little bit.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. So, um, I, you know, born and raised here, you know, in Michigan City and, uh, lived in the Eastport neighborhood. Went to Eastport, Krueger, you know, Elston. And then, uh, at one one point in time, this is my junior in high school.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: My dad was really, um, Going through, he was, he was using heroin.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And finally decided, uh, that he was gonna get some help. So he went to rehab here. It was at the old Walter's Clinic, I'll never forget.. And, and he didn't wanna stay. And so at this point, I think my mom was finally at a point where, look, I'm the oldest of seven kids in the home.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I'm in, you know, in high school. She was like, if, if you're not gonna say you can't come back.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so he made a decision to, to do something different. And he got clean, he moved to Florida, uh, where we had family.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: [00:05:00] Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Uh, got his cdl, you know, and uh, went to truck driver school and then we all followed um, that Thanksgiving.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So he left in March and we moved middle of my senior year.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: That's hard for you.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But it changed, but it cha- it, it was for the best. You know, I could, you know, I had an opportunity to stay here and finish school.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But being the oldest and kind of like the caregiver..
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: For the kids, I, I felt like, okay, these are my kids.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I can't let them go without me.
Lisa Scheller: Right, right, right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, and it worked out. We all end up going to college in Florida. Um, you know, my dad, he, he, he, he stayed sober for a while.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, he worked for JB Hunt. He was a trainer there. Um, you know, me and all my siblings, I have one brother who did career military for 20 years, but all of the girls have master's degrees and the boys have bachelor's degrees and..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But my dad, no matter what his struggle was, his whole thing, we had two [00:06:00] parents in the house.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And he was a big, big advocate of family.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And in school.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and always saying, don't do like Dad.
Lisa Scheller: Right. Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Don't be like Dad. You know? But he still had all these values that he instilled in us, even when he was down.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so I was the one that would just tell him like it is. So I was not an enabler. Um, I was the straight shooter for him and, um, just to give it to him, you know? And, and you know, in the end, you know, I tell the story my dad for a little while was homeless.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, he would stay at the Salvation Army at night.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and, and it was one of those things that was just trying to teach him that, listen, I love you, but I can't have you in the home with my kids, and you're using.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, um, we went through that a little bit. I would, I would drop him off every day, pick him up in the morning, [00:07:00] you know, and then, you know, we..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So lovingly but setting healthy boundaries.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes. And you have to set those boundaries. And I don't think that, um, And, and they're, you know, and, and me and my dad are a, a lot alike. So I mean, he, he was probably one, he's one of my best friends. He was one of my best friends. He would talk crazy to me and I just talk crazy to him back. And, you know, before he left, you know, it was one of those things.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: He had his own apartment. He was doing his own thing. And, um, and, you know, made amends with, you know, some of our, our family. And, um, so I, I had good, good memories with my dad.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: That's great.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So no matter what he was going through, you know.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Because he always talked to me very honestly and candidly.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, and a lot of that we tried to hide from the younger kids.
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Because there's a 15 year gap between, so they didn't know a lot of things that were happening because that was by design to try to hide it. [00:08:00] In the end, it always comes out.
Lisa Scheller: Exactly.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It does, it does. So, so I, I think, um, that kind of built who I am as an individual as far as services in the community.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, salvation Army, you know, being an adopted family, you know, over the years and, and I think, so, servant leadership has probably been a part of our DNA for a long time and..
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And when I moved back here, that was the first thing I did. It was like 20, it be 20 years in June.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: First thing you know, I reached out to people and I said, Hey, how can I help?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I do girl Scouts, I do soccer.
Lisa Scheller: Junior achievement.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, everything. So, So I jumped right in. Right when I moved back, I started Girl Scout Troop with one of my third grade teacher, Ms. Bachman.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So I did a Girl Scout troop at Mullen and then, uh, coached, you know, different sports at Queens and I did soccer camps in Lakeland at the Martin Luther King playground.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And [00:09:00] anything I could do just to jump in and, and work with young people, it's kind of what I did. And, and I think the first board I joined, when I moved back was the Hope Center on the west side.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: In Casa.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Those are my two..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Two very first boards that I was on. So, um, and then Dunebrook.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, so, you know, so I think, uh, people know, know me from those things and, and if someone needed help and they called. But then I started doing scholarship workshops and, you know, just whatever I could do because I, I felt like, we, we had a community member, um, Becky Williams, who served the whole program.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: She's the one that had us on Saturdays preparing for the SAT. You know, and she's the one that told me about my school that I graduated from.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I would've never known about Florida A&M University without her. So when I told her my dad moved to Florida, she says, oh, you need to look into... and at that time they [00:10:00] were number one.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, Harvard was number two in, in, um, national merit scholars.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, um, it was like, oh, never heard of it.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And she's the one that, that connected me to Florida A&M. So that's what I tried to do for students is just connect them to opportunities and, and letting them know that, yes, you may have to work and help pay bills, or you may be the oldest child and have more responsibilities, but that does not stop you from having opportunities.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right, right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, so that's, that's kind of, you know.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know what I try to instill in my kids too.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Well, and that's a real, it sounds like it's a real passion for you, like Lisa, when you've been through something like that with your dad, who, such a wonderful person, but had this issue.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And I love that you said that.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So sometimes I, I think we don't realize that really great, wonderful people have addiction issues.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Or mental health issues.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And he was smart, you know, just a very [00:11:00] smart guy and..
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: He had, you know, many, many businesses locally and he was a.. He had the gift of gab.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, so he can meet anybody.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and have a conversation.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right. And you learned from all of that.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and he was one of those ones too. And it's funny, now I look back, he was like, You know, why would we try caviar? You know, different things. Just like, ugh, this is disgusting. But he always wanted us to have, you know, adventurous food eating, you know, things.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Go beyond your comfort level.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. So, um, that was kind of cool. But, you know, and then my mom being the strong person she is to have to deal with that. I mean, she ain't been dealing with my dad since junior high school.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: It's hard.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That's a long time.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so, you know, just understanding the co- dependency, you know, piece of it too.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So. Um, I just, it's just a good thing.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Well, it sounds like you learned an awful lot from him. And tell us about your work experience, Angie. I don't know that [00:12:00] everyone knows all the cool things you've done.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. I, you know, out of college I worked for the phone company for 10 years and, um, I did that. I, I moved to Texas, so I moved 10 times.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I moved five times in 10 years.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So moved to Houston and then moved to St. Louis. Was there a week, and they told me we were moving to San Antonio, our corporate, our corporate headquarters. So, staying in San Antonio a year, they told me I was being promoted to St. Louis.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Moved back to St. Louis.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And then we purchased Ameritech and I was moved to Schaumburg. That's how I ended up back here.
Lisa Scheller: Oh, okay.
Lisa Scheller: And, and family does that, so.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Sure.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, my daughter was born in 2000 and, um, so a month later, she's a month old. Um, my great-aunt, my Aunt Louise was kind of like our grandmother on my mom's side.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, um, she was here in Michigan City. And um, we moved her with us to St. Louis.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh, nice.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so I had an 85 year old that, and uh, one [00:13:00] month old. Now I'm a caregiver and uh, you know, I look back at that, people who take care of people.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It's a lot of work.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah, it is a lot.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, so..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Well in balancing everything.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes. So, she came to live with us, but she wanted to be here in Michigan City. And so once we got her back in her home here, um, I was living in Hoffman Estate and kind of going back and forth once a month, my brother moved back and stayed with her. And then, um, I was like, okay, we're gonna move my office downtown.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And that's when we came back to Michigan City in 2003.
Lisa Scheller: Okay.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, um, and she lived to be, she, she passed away before her 95th birthday, so.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh, wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That was a long time.
Lisa Scheller: That's a long time.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and that time my mom moved back too. She moved back, um, about five years after, couple years after we moved back and to help with her, um, because being a, it's a full-time..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Gig, and I don't think people know. My mom... she... [00:14:00] amazing caregiver and I, and I think that, um, we have to figure out how to do more for, for people who are caregivers and dealing with this because it's all mental health.
Lisa Scheller: Right, right, right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I don't think, you know, I, when I had my aunt and, and Sydney, I think about the third, about three months in, I had a panic attack.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I went back to work.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, you know, about four months. I took off for four months and was on the highway and just had a panic attack.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: First time ever anything like that happened to me.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And you don't realize how overwhelmed you are with family things.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, I mean, just full blown up, hyperventilation, you know, on the side of the road.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and I, I think that, um, you know, even calling EAP and all that was really like, interesting because I felt like I still wasn't being heard.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, so I, I went a couple times. It's like, [00:15:00] oh, you just got a lot going on. I, I, I know that.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Gee wiz, thanks..
Lisa Scheller: How am I supposed to balance this?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Right. So, so I think we've evolved
Angie Nelson Deuitch: mental health, um, professionals have evolved, especially culturally.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, you know, cause our family, we have, you know, depression in our family and, and people just, are willing to talk about it more.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: That's right.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So that's a good thing.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: That's a great, that's a great thing. So you are really used to, um, balancing a lot.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And given your work and raising your family in the last few years, other work experience included NPSCO. Right?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So I took off about, So I took a buyout from the phone company before they became AT&T and uh, took off about seven years in full-time work. I had a thousand jobs.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right, right. Sounds like it.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I had a thousand jobs before NPSCO, so , I was like, well, I'm gonna coach. I, I need to be off. So I, I [00:16:00] did tech support for Dwyer Instruments from home, so I was an inside sales engineer. I did that part-time. Um, cuz I'm an electrical engineer, so it kind of just, it works out that you can get good jobs when you have an engineering degree.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right, right, right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So then I was teaching at PNC Trigg and then I was at Ivy Tech and I taught, um, I taught, uh, all different math courses at Ivy Tech and just did that. Went back and got my masters in public affairs during that time. And then I was on the city council, part of that time and then started law school.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh my goodness.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, so while in law school, first of all, I love law school, so my first year did really well and I was on break and Don Babcock, which is we were on the board together and, um, he said, man, we've been looking for someone and you know, and..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: The rest is history. I had coffee with his boss, his boss had flew in.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I had coffee with his boss, on, uh, Tuesday. Wednesday [00:17:00] met the president of NPSCO and Friday they made me an offer and I hadn't applied for any job.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh my gosh.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, so it happened that fast.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, I was with NPSCO for about 10 years and I think, you know, and I tell people, uh, NPSCO was very good to me. And, um, I said, you know, People can bash or whatever.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But one thing I will tell you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: You were very good for NPSCO.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Well, so that's what, that's what I wanna get at. They allowed me to do so much in the community because without an Angie at NPSCO, we wouldn't have quadrupled our giving in LaPorte County, you know? And..
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think that's the difference in starting the Energy Academy.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Kindergarten countdowns, the, you know, those things that were near and dear to my heart. I was able to kind of like push, you know, into LaPorte County versus other locations and, and I said that was a blessing that I even had the opportunity to do that.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Lisa Scheller: That's [00:18:00] right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so I... so, you know, I, I, you know, so I always look at it differently.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, when I think about my job opportunities.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It always afforded me an opportunity to lift other people up.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, even whether it is, um, people I'm mentoring in, you know, at, at the company, promoting people, I always prided myself in developing people.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, to be leaders. And I think that's where my strength has been, is really managing
Angie Nelson Deuitch: and developing people as individuals.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right. And I, I just have to say, Angie, when I was at Dune Brook as director, you were wonderful. You did that diversity, the conscious bias program for us, and you have a, and just watching you in the community and leadership roles and meetings and so forth, you have a really great way of bringing all different types in the community together for a purpose.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I think it's the tone in my voice. I think it's my [00:19:00] monotonous sound.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: No, no, not, no. You, you, your passion for wanting to do good because of once you've come and just your personality and your intelligence and your ability to bring people together is truly a gift.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Thank you. Thank you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: It, it really is.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And I, I guess my next question would be given that, as mayor, what would some of your goals be for Michigan City?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, so I have, you know, we, we created our tagline, reimagine Michigan City. Our people, our place, and our future and I think, you know, I really, really want, engagement is number one for me.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think that there are a lot of people who feel like their voices aren't heard or haven't been heard.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think it's because we haven't given them a platform for that.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I, I, I believe that, at Angie Nelson Deuitch administration will be focused solely on, okay. We know that we have a pro-, we [00:20:00] know what our poverty rate is, we know what our health issues are.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We, the data doesn't lie.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But as a city government, we're so focused on, you know, siloed approaches.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And not a holistic approach.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right, right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, my example is, you know, people say there aren't good paying jobs. Yes. There are good paying jobs. You know, everybody's hiring. We have Gafs, the Solaris of the world, all these different groups of, of companies that are good to Michigan City.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Well, okay. But if their, if their shifts are six to six, how are people gonna get there? Have we looked at transportation? And what are, what is the low hanging fruit? Can we, if we can't do it as a municipality, can we help a young entrepreneur or a old entrepreneur, can we help an entrepreneur establish a transport system to work with the manufacturers?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: These are like [00:21:00] simple. Simple things.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But we have not, we need to like bullet all priorities and then figure out, okay, what is the homeless approach to, to supporting that.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And of course, housing is a, is a priority. Um, public health and safety. Every mayor should be talking about roads, streets, and sidewalks.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So I don't spend a whole lot of time cuz that's what your job is.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That's, that's your job.
Lisa Scheller: Yep. Yep.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But how are you gonna get there? And couple of things that I've shared we're, we're changing some of the, the positions in City Hall.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, like the Promise Scholarship will now become the Director of Education and Workforce Development.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, the director of Human Rights will become the director of human rights and, and community engagement.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And putting those things in place so that people have an opportunity to, to have their voices heard. Our administration, we will do door knocking to check on residents. You know, you have [00:22:00] to let them know how to reach.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think building trust in the community is probably priority number one.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And then number two is all the resources that we've missed out on. We need to make sure that anything that we can leverage dollar wise to bring, you know, uh, resources to the city that we do that.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, You know, we can go into opioids, right? We have money there.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And it's sitting, you know.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We're sitting on it cuz I, I'm sure they don't know what to do with it.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I have a few ideas for it. I'm not gonna share what it is, that's later. Vote May 2nd, but..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: There you go.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We, we have opioid money that we're gonna be getting from that settlement.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That can impact, you know, so many different things. And um, I was talking to, um, gentleman that runs a sober living facility.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and, and the residents, they grilled me on why they should vote for me, right?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and, [00:23:00] and I just was honest with them. I said, you know, a lot of times we, we bark at having halfway houses and, and not in my backyard.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But then you look at Valpo, you have Alice's house, you have all these different facilities in Valpo.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Lisa Scheller: Right, right down there by the college.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Right?
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Higher income. All those things. So why wouldn't we have something?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So, it's doable.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It's doable. It's just a matter of building trust in the community,
Angie Nelson Deuitch: and letting them understand that this is a good thing to, to help the city not, um, a stigma.
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right. So it sounds to me like you are much more inclusive and creative and that would be a good thing. New ideas. Get younger people involved.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Um, tap the present resources, make sure everyone knows about it.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: What would you say to old Guard who sometimes I know in Michigan, having growing up here, sometimes people get afraid of things like that, and you talk about trust. Why should they not be afraid and be okay to [00:24:00] trust you given these creative, inclusive ideas?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Because the if, if someone has to be able to verbalize what has happened in Michigan City as far as health outcomes and poverty. It's not working.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: If poverty keeps increasing, crime keeps increasing. You know, help...
Jeanne Ann Cannon: It takes all of us.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes. You know, it's like, okay, it's not working.
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so we don't share that enough and we share it in such a negative way.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, when we talk about, um, you know, birth rates and things in Michigan City, we have one of the..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Highest..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Highest infant mortality.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Right?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But does, do people know that? And I..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And what does that mean to the community? Like, people hear those stats and think, oh, that's not me.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know what it means? It means that a lot of our, our kids and a lot of our families gonna have members sitting in the prison.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That's what that means.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Because ultimately They can't succeed in school and in life. Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And we, we want to catch [00:25:00] it early on. So if the city, I, I feel like our responsibility is to make sure that families are, are whole.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And that families have the best opportunities in the city.
Lisa Scheller: And they have the resources that are out there, but we need to bring those together.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm.
Lisa Scheller: So that people aren't going here, there, and everywhere to get those resources.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. Because if, if City Hall is becomes a resource center.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And people have a one-stop shop where they can meet if they got unemployment issues, if they looking for a job but if I gotta drive from, coming City Hall and now I gotta find a ride out to uh, DCS, I gotta find a ride out to where I can apply for Snap.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Then I gotta figure out how I'm gonna get my voucher and go here.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and so, okay, these are people who need the most resources, but we're making them use the most resources to get there.
Lisa Scheller: And transportation becomes a barrier because we know that people that are in that situation may not have the transportation.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Mm-hmm. I mean..
Lisa Scheller: When you talk about [00:26:00] Valpo, I have some experience in Valpo with this whole, like what they're using, they're opioid money for, and the same issues that are going on in Michigan City. But if we're not gonna come up with a solution and we're just gonna sit around the table and talk about it and pretend that we don't need to address this or that..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Right.
Lisa Scheller: The problem is just going to progressively get worse.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And it, and it will. And I don't think we've done enough to, to talk about it.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Because that's why, I mean, we didn't have a car growing up.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I mean, you know, my mom caught the bus or walked, walked from Comcast cable over to Eastport from work every day.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Now who does that?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And so that's why, you know, I, I just think that having the empathy to understand that resources are available, but to also utilize this local, to utilize churches and nonprofits.
Lisa Scheller: Yes. Mm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I tell people all the time, it's like all churches are in every neighborhood. Pretty much in Michigan City.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We got over 70 churches [00:27:00] in, in the area.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: If we assist them in providing resources to those neighborhoods..
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Man..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Golden.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That, I mean.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I'm thinking to myself why the city can't do it alone.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Absolutely.
Lisa Scheller: It's a village.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It is.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And that's you bringing everyone together.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. Yeah. That's the goal.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Because they trust you.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah. And that's, so that's what we're focused on. Just building the trust and then letting people understand that, uh, it's voting is important at the local level more than ever.
Lisa Scheller: Yes. Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And understanding that, cuz a lot of people say, well, I, my vote doesn't count. You know, at the local..
Lisa Scheller: Oh, the local..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It counts the most at the local level.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Because it's streets, it's sidewalks, it's crime, it's police, it's fire. I mean, everything is impacted at the local level.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Uh, and, and so that's always my plea. Look, this is probably one of the most [00:28:00] important elections, with so much development happening.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So can you talk a little bit about the down and dirty of voting?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: What do our voters need to know? When is the election? How do they register if they're not registered, how do they get to the poll places if they don't know how?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Well I, I can tell you a couple of things. So the election is May 2nd, and I'm just gonna take a look so that I don't mess it up.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Okay.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But the last day to register, Register to vote is April 3rd.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh, that's next week.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It's next week. It is next week.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: So that's Monday.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: That's Monday. So the last day to vote is April 3rd and, and one of the cool things about registering to vote right now is it's so simple because all you have to do is go out to indianavoters.in.gov, indianavoters.in.gov and it takes less than three minutes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I kid you not.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Online.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Online, yeah. You can take your phone and just click on, pull the link up. And seriously, you go in long as you have a [00:29:00] Indiana ID or a, um, a uh, driver's license. I mean less than three minutes. We had people come into our office last week in three minutes tops.
Lisa Scheller: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And they can check their voter registration or, or vote, I mean, check their voter's registration or sign up to register.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And then beginning April 4th, they can start early voting, um, here at Eighth and Wabash here in Michigan City. So, and in LaPorte, again, um, they have their voting location as well, but early voting.. Um, we've had, um, very, you know, poor turnout in the primary, and I tell people, yes, we have to register as a party, but local politics has no party.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: It really doesn't.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, this is an important election, so I'm on the Democratic ballot, so they would have to pull the Democratic ballot.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But, um, any, everybody should just vote. I just want people to be registered.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I want them to at least exercise their right to vote.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: [00:30:00] Because, we just don't see the numbers. And 17 year olds can vote.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Oh, wow.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So if you're, if you turn 18 by the general election in November, you can vote in the primary.
Lisa Scheller: Okay. Wow. That's good to know.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So I'm pushing that with the young people that get them. Get your 17 year olds registered.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right. So if you wanna have a voice about your neighborhood, about streets, about crime, about resources, that's what Angie is saying.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: You need to register by next Monday and then vote before May 2nd, and you can early vote at the courthouse.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Uh, yeah. So here in Michigan City, you can vote at eighth and Wabash at the county.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Okay.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: The county..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Eighth and Wabash?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Okay.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Eighth and Wabash.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: The strip mall looking.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yep.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yep, yep.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, um, the two Saturdays before the election.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Okay.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So the 22nd and 29th.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Great.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Um, it'll be open from eight to 3:00 PM on Saturday. So, all hours.
Lisa Scheller: Yeah.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Are available. There's no excuse.
Lisa Scheller: There's no.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And if you go with the good [00:31:00] times, there's not a wait.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: There's not a wait. You can walk right in.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And so it takes all the few minutes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes. And it's, it's easy to do. So that's what we're gonna be doing. It's really pushing, um, to get people to come out and vote and increase the turnout.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yeah.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: That's wonderful, Angie. Is there anything else, Angie, before we go, that you want the voters to know?
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know, I just appreciate you and thanking you.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We've, we've done this before.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So, no, I appreciate the time. I just, you know, want people to know who I am and, um, and that in leadership, you know, you have to make hard decisions, but understand that our experiences are super important in leading a city.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and what, what regional, you know, Cities, you know, our region in general, you know, I've built relationships across the region.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And I think that's important as we move Michigan City forward and LaPorte County.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: For that matter.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right. I mean, your business background and your educational background is just fabulous.
Lisa Scheller: [00:32:00] And community minded.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes.
Lisa Scheller: You know, everything, everything that's going on.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Lisa, did you have anything else about..?
Lisa Scheller: No, I just say vote for Angie. She's amazing.
Lisa Scheller: And doing great things and, um..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I appreciate that.
Lisa Scheller: I've been a part of that, so I just know that, um, she's gonna do great things in the future.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yeah. And again, thank you again for sharing about your dad and your family.
Lisa Scheller: Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Angie, for all of you listening, really the message for both Lisa's book and Angie's story and my story is, uh, you're not alone.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You're not alone.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And there is help out there. And when you mentioned therapy, you know there are a good therapist and not good therapist. You talked to, your dad went to or you went to...
Jeanne Ann Cannon: it didn't work out. Keep looking, keep looking.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You have to. You have to. Um, and, and again. And, and read, read about them.
Lisa Scheller: Yes. Educate.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Get to know them and, and know too though that there is a shortage.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: I mean, we know that my daughter's a licensed social worker in Texas.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And... [00:33:00] it's not a sexy job. It's a passion job. I mean, you have to be passionate about what you do.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And, and we've made it hard for our um, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, we made it hard for them to become clinical.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: We, I, we put people through hoops and, um, we have to figure out a way to you know, I, I sit on the LaPorte County Drug Free task Force.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And Kaka and our crisis intervention team.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Yes.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: And it, it, it's just horrible that we have to, um, push people through hoops and, and then they wonder why, you know, and then we don't pay y'all enough.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: So that's a whole nother thing.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: But, But..
Jeanne Ann Cannon: There is help out there.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: There is help.
Lisa Scheller: More help than ever.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: And just like a, a medical doctor, if this one doesn't fit, go and ask and talk.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Keep looking, keep looking. That's what I, I tell people, my daughter, she's, she's definitely good at [00:34:00] that. And, and identifying people that
Angie Nelson Deuitch: she feels comfortable with.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Right.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: You know?
Jeanne Ann Cannon: A good fit. Well, Angie, thank you so much, Lisa.
Lisa Scheller: Thank you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Thank you, Cassie. Thank you always for the, the woman behind the scenes. You're welcome. And we wish you all the best, Angie, it's such a delight to..
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Thank you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Hear more about you.
Lisa Scheller: Mm-hmm.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Thank you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Um, we always end our, our sessions with saying, you know, be very, very kind to yourself.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: It's a big world out there. Sometimes life is easy, sometimes it's rough, sometimes it's in the middle, but as Angie said, get, uh, the help you need. And, um, we wish her the best for the run for mayor because it sounds like she's gonna make help available for all levels in Michigan City, and we really appreciate it.
Angie Nelson Deuitch: Thank you.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Thank you.
Lisa Scheller: Thank you. Yes.
Jeanne Ann Cannon: Have a good week.
Lisa Scheller: Have a good week.
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