CROWN POINT | State Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point, and political newcomer Republican nominee Bill Johnson will face off on the November ballot, but members of the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce listened to the two discuss their views on taxes, jobs and education at a candidate forum Thursday morning.

The forum highlighted the differences between the candidates on many of the issues, although both said they would work toward keeping taxes low.

VanDenburgh, 39, who left her job in the Lake County clerk's office to focus on the job full time, said she voted for the property tax relief plan last session that created $870 million in tax cuts and has heard anecdotally from homeowners their property taxes are down about 30 percent. She said she will vote for the plan again to make the tax caps permanent.

"No one likes to wonder what their property tax bill will be," she said.

Johnson, 54, a Crown Point businessman who owns his own legal and financial consulting firm, said he also is in favor of the tax relief given by the plan, but wants to take it a step further by limiting government spending, a theme he returned to while discussing other issues.

For economic development, Johnson highlighted the fact that he has started multiple businesses. He said every dollar that is taken for taxes is a dollar he can't give to his employees.

"If you don't have the money, you can't hire people," he said.

VanDenburgh said the state needs to provide businesses with incentives and continue to financially support business innovation centers, such as Purdue's research parks.

Much of the forum focused on education. The candidates took turns defending their views from the other's rebuttals, passing the microphone back and forth at least three times.

While Johnson said he believes teachers who "spark" students should be rewarded, he said money won't solve problems in education.

VanDenburgh argued the state should fund full-day kindergarten for all students to compete with states that already do and said the legal drop-out age of 16 was outdated from a time when families needed their children to help with their farms. She said that age should be moved to 18.

"If there is talk of cuts in education, as long as I am there ... I will not vote for that," she said.

VanDenburgh was appointed to fill Bob Kuzman's seat in 2007 after the veteran state representative stepped down to work for an Indianapolis law office.

While Johnson ran for the Republican nomination, he lost to Andrew Webster by 24 votes. However, Webster withdrew his name from the ballot for undisclosed reasons, and a Republican caucus voted in August to have Johnson fill the vacancy.

The year's state House races are important as Republicans hope to turn the 51-49 Democratic majority in their favor in November, and the Democrats hope their majority increases. District 19 covers southern Lake County and portions of Newton and Porter counties.