6 takeaways from town hall for Indianapolis mayor candidates, Democratic edition
Four of the five Democratic mayoral candidates — Mayor Joe Hogsett, Rep. Robin Shackleford, and community activists Clif Marsiglio and Larry Vaughn — appeared in a room together for the first time in the 2023 election season at IndyStar's town hall Tuesday night.
Over an hour and a half, the conversations ranged from how they would address violence to the ubiquitous problem of potholes to what risks candidates would take as mayor.
Candidate Bob Kern did not attend.
Republican candidates will discuss issues at a second IndyStar town hall Thursday. The primary election is on May 2.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the town hall.
Hogsett, Shackleford defend their records
Hogsett and Shackleford, as the only two candidates who are elected officials, were asked what they've done during their time in office.
Shackleford, who has represented Indianapolis' eastside since 2012, said being in the Democratic super minority at the legislature hasn't stopped her from accomplishing a great deal. She pointed to her work as a key driver behind the launch of Indiana’s first telemedicine pilot program in 2014. She also cited her work in the effort to pass a historic police reform bill in 2021 that defined the use of chokeholds during arrests as deadly force and criminalized an officer for turning off body and vehicle cameras to conceal criminal behavior.
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Hogsett, asked why he needs a third term when he's already had almost two terms to accomplish his goals, said the pandemic forestalled a lot of progress, echoing what he said after his election campaign announcement last November.
"The truth is the last three years have been three of the most difficult years in our city’s history," he said. "What I didn’t know on election night in 2019 was three months later, a global pandemic would strike our city that has not denied but has delayed a lot of the progress we made early on."
Challengers target the incumbent
In response to a question about why Indianapolis needs a change in leadership, Shackleford criticized Hogsett for a lack of transparency on how he's spending federal money and whether he's made progress on his promises. She said as mayor, she would have quarterly progress reports and regular community meetings.
"What I'm hearing from people is: our mayor is absent," she said.
Marsiglio criticized Hogsett for paying unequal attention to different neighborhoods in the city.
"You can see the people who the administration favors," he said, stating that streets from Nora to downtown are perfect while those in his neighborhood on the eastside are bad.
What big risk would candidates take?
An audience member said Indianapolis is a city built on risks, from its initial development on a non-navigable waterway to building a massive football stadium in a city without an NFL team. The candidates were asked what risks each would take as mayor.
Shackleford said she would make Indianapolis an entertainment mecca and reimagine Circle Center Mall.
Marsiglio said he would divert 200 police officers to be unarmed civilian respondents.
Hogsett said he's proud of big risks he's already taken, including building the long-overdue Community Justice Campus and policies that keep low-level offenders and those with mental illness or addiction out of jail.
Vaughn said he would stop giving private businesses money through tax increment financing districts.
Gun violence front and center
How to address gun violence and the homicide rate was front and center at Tuesday's debate. Hogsett's challengers attacked him on a lack of effectiveness in solving the crisis.
Both Shackleford and Marsiglio criticized Hogsett for eliminating the city's civilian public safety director position when he first took office in 2016. The mayor is currently the de facto head of public safety in the city. Both candidates said they would reinstitute the role because the mayor of a city Indy's size does not have enough time to directly oversee public safety.
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Hogsett defended his record, disclaiming responsibility for the rise in homicides.
"This is an issue that did not occur overnight; this is an issue that far predates seven and a half years ago," he said. He added that he would "stay the course" because what the city is currently doing is making a difference, saying that in 2022, Indianapolis saw the largest single decline in homicides in history. They dropped 15% from 2021.
He said the city under his administration has implemented a $150 million anti-violence plan.
Marsiglio drew upon his experience as a trained mental health clinician, showing the audience Narcan and Fentanyl testing strips that he said he carries around with him at all times. His public safety proposals include not worrying about simple possession, he said.
Although the other three candidates focused on the importance of addressing mental illness and addiction in crime reduction, Vaughn said, "That’s a waste of human resources."
Development for neighborhoods, not just downtown
Shackleford focused on the disparity between downtown and neighborhoods in the levels of development they've seen.
"Our neighborhoods have been disconnected from the well-developed downtown and many are living in a desert — a food, pharmacy and economic development desert," she said.
Her plan to address the disparity includes using the downtown tax increment financing district — which draws from increased property taxes as development happens — to build affordable housing in surrounding neighborhoods.
Marsiglio echoed the sentiment.
"Downtown’s perfect. Most people don’t live downtown," he said. "They’re living on the eastside, the far west side, they’re living where the cultural trail isn’t at."
Hogsett pointed to new developments, investment and housing in neighborhoods across the city. One recent example, he said, is the Cook Medical manufacturing facility and grocery store along 38th Street. Cook Medical announced plans in 2020 to build a 40,000-square-foot medical device manufacturing facility with community partners under an initiative known as 38th and Sheridan.
Hogsett added that in the last year alone, the city has added more than 1,000 housing units through its transit-oriented development policy.
Potholes and money
Shackleford and Hogsett agreed that the Indiana road funding formula needs to change. Indiana doesn't award road money based on traffic volume but rather uses population and road mileage to distribute dollars, meaning Marion County gets disproportionately less money than rural counties.
The candidates disagreed on whether raising taxes to pay for road improvements should be considered.
Shackleford said residents she has spoken to are open to the idea of paying more to fix roads.
"We’ve gotten to a point where it’s so bad, because we have not sat down and taken risks and collaborated and got solutions, that now we’re in crisis mode," she said.
Meanwhile, Hogsett, known for fiscal prudence and conservatism, said raising taxes is off the table because Marion County is already a donor county.
"We pay into state government much more than Marion County receives," he said.
Contact IndyStar reporter Ko Lyn Cheang at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis mayor: Democratic candidates face off in town hall
