The Indiana Publisher

December 2020 Page 6 sional and legislative districts. What else may occur will depend upon the will of Republi- can leadership since the party holds a super-majority in both the House and Senate and whether the virus rears its ugly head amongst the assemblage. All four caucuses have talked about passing legislation to address the social justice issues raised after the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minnesota. The Hoosier State Press Association has shared some suggestions on how to use transparency to better hold law enforcement agencies accountable in dealing with racism that might exist. The suggestions focus on opening up to greater public scrutiny the disciplinary process and records of police agencies. HSPA also has suggested making public access to police body camera video more obtainable. Until bills are released, HSPA will not know whether any of its suggestions will be pursued. During 2020, HSPA reached out to the caucus leaders to commit to working with them on modernizing the public notice policy of the state. HSPA will present a proposal for them to consider mid-2020. Executive Director and General Counsel Steve Key said the reception to HSPA's commitment was positive with an understanding that a bill should be introduced in the 2022 session. Key wouldn't be surprised though to see bills filed during the 2021 session that would eliminate or reduce the publication require- ments for public notices. The opponents of public notice may use the COVID-19 induced budget constraints as an argument to move public notices to government websites to save taxpayer dollars. HSPA hopes its proactive commitment will stave off these efforts until the entire system can be addressed in 2022. Another concern, Key has for the 2021 session is what may happen during the end of the session. If legislators are encouraged to limit the number of bills filed and if committee chairs reduce the number of bills to be heard, there may be attempts to add language to the few bills moving at the end. During this conference committee period, there's little opportunity for outside input into the behind-the-scene negotiations between legislators. IBJ's Greg Morris ready for 'first retirement' Greg Morris Indianapolis Business Journal In just a few short weeks, Dec. 31, 2020, will mark my last official day with IBJ Media. I'm calling this occa- sion my "first retirement." Nate Feltman, president, CEO and co-owner, will pick up publisher duties upon my departure. On that date, I will have worked for the company just shy of 30 years. It has been an honor and privilege to work for local entrepreneurs Mickey Maurer and Bob Schloss for almost half my lifetime. With Mickey as managing partner most of those years, I've been privy to a priceless education on business, management and ethics and have been treated like family since day one. And with the arrival of Nate Feltman 3-1/2-half years ago as an equal co-owner, now majority co-owner, it has been a great experience work- ing closely with Nate. I greatly appreciate his allowing me to co-manage with him what has been rapid change and disrup- tion designed to position IBJ Media for con- tinued success well into the future. Today, everything at IBJ Media is in capable hands, so I feel really good It's time for my first retirement and at peace with my decision. I know this is the right move at the right time for me and the company. As I prepare to head out the door for the last time, I reflect on how I could not be more pleased and proud to have worked with so many outstanding profes- sionals at this company along the way. As you all know, a company can't be great without great people. IBJ Media has been endowed with an abundance of great people that deeply care about their work, the company and our community. I also reflect on the hun- dreds of business people and not-for-profit and government people I've had the privilege of knowing and working with to help them accomplish their goals and objectives. In many cases, these are lifetime relationships and friendships that have been developed. I have to be hon- est. It's taken me quite a while to warm up to the idea of being retired. Actually, I'm not a fan of the word. The Merriam-Webster dictionary's definition of retired is: with- drawn from one's position or occupation—having concluded one's working or professional career. This does not repre- sent my vision of the future. So, after working 30 years at IBJ and 43 years total in Indy media, I'll say this is my first retirement. I'm sure there will be other careers and retire- ments after a brief break and "detox" period. I just don't know yet what those will be. What I do know is that I will be a lifetime advocate for IBJ Media and its endeavors. I truly believe the Indianapolis Business Journal is one of the finest regional business publi- cations in the country. IBJ's hyper-local/regional news and information—provided day in and day out, week in and week out—can-not be found or matched anywhere else. As such, it makes sense that the number of IBJ subscribers has been increasing. Look for an announcement by year-end regarding our remarkable paid print/digital subscriber growth over the past two years that is nearing a publication record level—a 40% increase. I want to highlight that IBJ celebrated our 40th anni- versary this year, so please be sure to "read all about it" in your upcoming 2021 Book of Lists, to be delivered in your mailbox the week of Dec. 21. The book is loaded with powerful information you'll want to refer- ence all year. In closing, I want to sincerely thank all our readers, contribu- tors, advertisers, sponsors, ven- dors and friends that support IBJ. Your business is greatly appreciated. And on a personal note, thanks for all your kindness to me over the past several decades. I am grateful beyond words and wish you a healthy and pros- perous 2021. Greg Morris is publisher of IBJ. To comment on this column, send email to gmorris@ibj.com Preview Continued from Page 1 Morris During 2020, HSPA reached out to the caucus leaders to commit to working with them on modernizing the public notice policy of the state. HSPA will present a proposal for them to consider mid-2020

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