Larry Borst dead at 89.
Former Indianapolis Senator Larry Borst, the state’s financial gatekeeper under governors from Otis Bowen to Joe Kernan, has died at age 89.
Borst served 36 years in the Senate, and for nearly 30 of them was the chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, making him one of the primary shapers of the state budget. He also played key roles in the creation of IUPUI, the Hoosier Lottery, and the Unigov law which combined city and county government in Indianapolis. And the longtime veterinarian led the charge to legalize horse racing in Indiana.
Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) saluted Borst as “a titan of Indiana politics.”
Former House Speaker Patrick Bauer (D-South Bend) negotiated several budgets with Borst as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He says Borst combined a command of the numbers, an “adamant” commitment to his goals, and a willingness to spend as long as it took to hammer out a deal. But despite their opposing views, Bauer says the two of them became friends, and collaborated on the horse-racing bill, community-college legislation, and far-reaching tax bills.
Current House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis)praises Borst for a “passion for fiscal integrity (and) public service.”
