The Primary Election came and went and we did really well for an unknown candidate with a limited budget. We got 10% of the vote across the board and won in my home County of LaPorte.
Winning LaPorte County was huge for the same reasons listed above. I’ve never been in politics and wasn’t a known name at all. I had a very limited budget and still won my county against a name that’s very familiar to the residents. All in all, we chalked it up as a major victory and that’s all thanks to YOU!
I talked it over with my family and Republican party officials and we agreed that I could accomplish far more by being the State Representative for District 9. My priorities have not changed. My position is the same. The only difference is the office. I will work with legislators from both parties to bring the change we need to our state government while being an active part of the community I want to serve.
We are only a few weeks away from the most important election in my lifetime. Every single position on the ballot is more important than ever before.
Constant media coverage of the Presidential race makes it easy to forget that there are elections for many positions up and down the ballot besides President. I want to talk to you about one of them. One that will have a direct impact on your life as a Hoosier on a frequent basis. That’s the position of State Representative.
Your State Representative is your voice in Indianapolis. They are the person that is responsible for making sure that your values and needs are taken into account when laws are proposed. They enforce YOUR will on the legislative body. They should be accessible, reasonable, and willing to speak up for all the residents of their District.
I’m running to be your State Representative because we need those who listen and can speak up when needed. We need people who understand that our police need our support, not our hatred. We need those who are willing to fight for our innocent unborn. We need people who put their District first. All of it. We need those who stand firm in the face of the rage mob and won’t be cowed by the vocal minority. I can and will do all of the above.
I do a live stream most nights at 7 PM Central time. In these streams I talk directly to you, the voter. You get a chance to see the real person behind the name on the ballot and I also answer your questions in real time. You can look into my eyes and see that I’m just like you: A Hoosier husband and father that talks TO you, not AT you.
I’m not some career politician with a fancy degree from an Ivy League university. I’m not from a rich and powerful family that conveniently sells millions of dollars of shares of a company right before the public learns what they knew about a week ago. I was a truck driver. I was a Correctional Officer at Indiana State Prison then became a Real Estate Agent. Regular jobs in regular fields. This is important because the laws that get made rarely affect those with lots of money. They affect you and me. We are the silent majority. The people who just want to go about their business, feed their children, enjoy the fruits of their labor and begrudgingly pay our taxes. In return, we expect to be left alone, allowed to do the things that give us pleasure but hurt no one, have access to affordable and accessible health care for the days when things don’t go according to plan, and generally forget about the political process.
I am asking for your vote on November 3rd, 2020 because I believe in my heart that I’m the best for this job. I’ll be your voice in Indianapolis. I’ll carefully and thoughtfully consider policy before voting, I will always vote for what is best for my constituents, and I will never vote for or against something just because of party politics.
Do you feel like the laws passed represent you? Do you believe that the Indiana General Assembly has your best interests at heart? Could you reach out right now to your representative and get an answer? We can be the change we envision and it starts with electing people that do what’s best for the people of their District.
Vote for the people that will actually represent you. Vote Bergeron 2020.
Born in Houma, Louisiana on February 5th, 1974, Dion was the second son of Floyd and Lynda Bergeron. Dion’s older brother Paul passed away at age 9 from Neuroblastoma when Dion was 5, so he grew up as an only child. Dion saw his father a handful of times throughout his life, but never really bonded with him.
His mother moved him around frequently, sometimes multiple times a year. Raised by his single mother, he lived in Louisiana and Alabama, before moving to Michigan City, Indiana at around age 10.
His mother tried hard, but had a long history of mental illness and addiction. Alcohol and drug abuse were a part of every day life, and they struggled financially. Dion learned the ins and outs of the welfare system from an early age, watching his mother juggle food stamps and bills, and was on track to becoming another statistic himself. Eventually his mother was placed into a care facility.
Dion was forced to grow up fast, and was on his own at 16. The combination of working full time to pay bills and trying to juggle school was too much. He dropped out of High School, but got his GED the day he turned 18. He migrated back and forth between Indiana and Louisiana, unable to find a direction.
At 19, while living in Louisiana, Dion was arrested for Criminal Damage to Coin Operated Vending Machines, a misdemeanor. This would prove a crucial turning point for him.
Dion witnessed the difference in the way the judicial system treats people based on wealth, as he was offered a plea deal: pay a few thousand dollars, and the charges would vanish. Unable to come up with the money, the case proceeded to trial, which Dion lost. Since Dion was with someone who committed the crime, he was just as guilty, the law said, so he was sentenced to one year in the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex in Houma, Louisiana. At the time, there was a rash of these crimes, though Dion had no idea, and the prosecutor and judge were under pressure to make an example of him.
It was while here that Dion vowed to turn his life around. He straightened up, and made positive steps to ensure that he would never see the inside of a jail cell again, eventually even becoming a Correctional Officer, having the experience of both sides of the bars, a rarity in law enforcement.
Education
Dion attended local schools in Michigan City since moving here from Alabama with his mother at around 10 years old. St. Paul Lutheran, Joy Elementary, Barker Junior High, and Elston High School formed the foundation of his education. He grew up right here in the region, and sends his children to the public schools here as well because he believes in them.
He attended Ivy Tech for Computer Science, with a focus in Network Administration, and knows first-hand of the student debt incurred by massive numbers of our citizens, as well as the numerous flaws (and strengths) in our higher education system.
Career
Dion’s first job was at the Michigan City Humane Society (and Fried’s Cat Shelter) as a volunteer in his early teens. His first paying job was also at the Humane Society, as they hired him on when he reached legal working-for-pay age.
From food service to transportation, from 10 years as a long-haul truck driver and trainer to 7 years as a Correctional Officer at Indiana State Prison, even becoming a Real Estate Broker, Dion has experience working and dealing with people all across this country, and from all walks of life.
In this time of incredible division, we need the life experience and skills of people who can empathize with those across all walks of life, and Dion embodies a unique opportunity to bridge divides.
Values
Dion Bergeron believes very strongly in honesty, integrity, and accountability. His life experience has taught him that people make mistakes, but taking responsibility for those mistakes and vowing to learn from them is where true character emerges. Perfection is not a human trait, and it is our flaws that make us who we are, and mold our uniqueness.
Dion believes that true freedom is the ability to chart your own course in life, raising yourself up from the crushing yoke of terrible childhood experiences, turning them into strengths, and using that history to connect with people that would otherwise be unreachable.
One of Dion’s core values is family. He is the proud father of 5 children, ranging in age from 23 to 12, and has been happily married to his wife Elizabeth for almost 10 years.
Dion values self-sufficiency and drive, while also understanding that there are times when people need a hand.
Witnessing what is going on in our government, Dion can no longer stand by and simply hope it gets better. Together we can make real progress.