Candidate challenges hack away at City-County Council primary field

When the deadline for candidate filings passed on Feb. 3, it seemed as if the Democratic primary race in the heavily redrawn City-County Council District 8 was set, with five candidates including William “Duke” Oliver, who currently represents District 9 on the council.

But less than a month later, only two candidates are left—and one of them, Ron Gibson, filed challenges with the Marion County Election Board that led to some of the departures.

Gibson, a former at-large councilor, filed petitions against three of his opponents—Oliver, Edwin Lewis Jones and Quincy Murphy—questioning whether they qualified for the ballot.

Oliver and Jones withdrew their candidacies on Feb. 10, even before the election board could rule.

Then on Feb. 15, the Marion County Election Board voted to take Murphy off the ballot because he did not meet a state requirement that he had voted a Democratic ballot in the two most recent primary elections. Murphy told IBJ that he still plans to run as an independent candidate in the general election.

Gibson had also alleged Jones did not vote in the two previous Democratic primary elections. Jones told IBJ that was true, which led him to withdraw.

Gibson alleged that Oliver did not meet the noon deadline Feb. 3 filing deadline, a challenge the election board denied. Still, the 79-year-old councilor withdrew, saying he would retire after nearly two decades on the governing body.

In the heavily Democratic northside district, the candidate who wins the primary is likely to win the general election, said Chad Kinsella, director of the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University. That might have encouraged more competition among Democratic candidates—and all the challenges.

“It’s an easy way to knock somebody out of the race if you don’t want them in there,” Kinsella said.

When the three-member election board meets, Kinsella said, “it’s kind of like the Grim Reaper.”

Who’s left?

The only remaining candidates for District 8—which includes the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Crown Hill Cemetery and parts of the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood—are Gibson and Danita Hoskin.

The two candidates lead their respective neighborhood associations: Gibson is the president of the Devington Communities Association, and Hoskin is the president of the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association.

Gibson was an at-large councilor from 2000 to 2007.

He was accused of public intoxication and battery against a police officer in July 2006, while he was serving on the council. A special prosecutor later found no evidence of the alleged altercation, and charges were dropped in Oct. 2007. But, Gibson lost his reelection bid.

Gibson works as a network relations manager for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Hoskin works for not-for-profit organization Midtown Indy as a community builder. The charity aims to positively impact the quality of life and economic vitality of neighborhoods between White River and Fall Creek.

Gibson told IBJ he believed Oliver, the incumbent councilor, was not running for reelection.

Oliver to retire

Oliver told IBJ he has been considering retiring for awhile, and each election cycle, he wondered if it was the right time.

“I loved it,” Oliver said. “And I’ve been thinking ‘what if’ for several years.”

Oliver, who has chaired the council’s Parks and Recreation Committee for more than eight years, said the $80 million grant from the Lilly Endowment for Indy Parks was a high point of his tenure on the council.

“I haven’t accomplished everything, but I certainly feel good about the things that have taken place that I was a part of,” he said.

Oliver also serves on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety and Public Works committees, and previously, on the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee.

In retirement, Oliver plans to be an active participant in the government process but read and travel more than the meeting schedule had allowed.

He said he hopes that his successors foster positive sentiment within the community, rather than focusing on negative events and issues, like crime. 

“I would encourage those candidates to express positive things about the district, and to encourage smaller groups, block clubs, to say wonderful things when they come together,” Oliver said.

More challenges

Candidacy challenges, especially when related to residency, tend to get messy.

In Lawrence, Marion County Republican Party Joe Elsener filed a a challenge against Tyrell Giles, a candidate for Lawrence Common Council. Giles is also a current Democratic councilor for Lawrence, representing District 1.

Elsener alleged that Giles did not live in Lawrence and instead lived on the west side of Indianapolis. Speaking on behalf of Elsener at Wednesday’s election board meeting, attorney Samantha DeWester said that a private investigator had periodically watched Giles’ homes since August.

Giles told the board Wednesday that he had been renovating his home. The board denied the challenge.

Two other Indianapolis City-County Council candidates—sitting Democratic Councilor Keith Graves and candidate Rosemary Turentine—challenged opponents on the basis of residency, but the Marion County Election Board voted to strike down the challenges.

Four Indianapolis mayoral candidates—Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, the Rev. James W. Jackson, Larry Vaughn, and Gregory Meriweather—also received challenges, but they were either withdrawn or stricken by the board.

John L. Couch, another Republican candidate for mayor, filed challenges against Shabazz and Jackson accusing them of failing to meet party membership requirements.  The board struck the petition challenging Shabazz, which originated from statements he’s made that he identities as a Libertarian. The board said he legally meets the requirements to be a Republican candidate.

Meriweather’s challenger, Renlyn Fountain, did not attend the meeting.

Jackson and Vaughn were both alleged to have incorrectly filed candidate forms by including title and a nickname on the form. The challenges were withdrawn and the issue was fixed with an administrative action instead.