Four Indianapolis City-County Council races to watch

Marion County voters will have a choice for local representation in 15 of the 25 City-County Council districts in the Nov. 7 election. The other 10 seats are uncontested.

Generally, these elections are low-information and lower-turnout, University of Indianapolis political science professor Gregory Shufeldt told IBJ.

“Most people don’t pay attention to these. Most people won’t vote in them,” Shufeldt said. “And this is fairly par for the course because most of them are rarely competitive.”

But Republicans, who are outnumbered by Democrats on the council by a 19-5 margin (with one independent), hope to persuade voters to let them gain a few seats in districts that were recently redrawn. Still, Democrats are expected to maintain a large majority.

“There’s really only a handful [of races] that the strength of the candidates, the dynamics of the race, would even kind of play a factor,” Shufeldt said.

The IBJ used analysis from nonpartisan voter advocacy group Common Cause Indiana, political scientists and both Republican and Democratic party leaders to identify four races considered the most in play.

MOST CONTESTED DISTRICTS WITHOUT INCUMBENTS

District 4: Far northeast side, includes Castleton and Geist

Voters in District 4 will choose between Republican Natalie Goodwin and Democrat Nick Roberts.

Goodwin is knocking doors while eight months pregnant with her third child. Roberts, at 23-year-old, would be the youngest councilor if elected.

Both candidates have garnered enthusiastic support from their respective parties. Roberts, who works in the Lawrence Township Trustee’s Office and has been heavily politically active in other campaigns and has had Mayor Joe Hogsett stop by campaign events. He also raised an impressive $42,200 prior to the primary election (during that same period, Council Vice President Zach Adamson raised just $16,250 with a primary competitor, to whom he ultimately lost.)

Much of Robert’s fundraising comes from small donations garnered from social media. He has over 21,400 followers on X, formerly Twitter. 

Goodwin previously worked for U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks and U.S. Sen. Todd Young and has the backing of Republicans involved in larger campaigns. She raised nearly $12,250 before the primary election, but generally in larger amounts per donation. These donations came in part from politicos on Republican mayoral candidate Jefferson Shreve’s campaign

team. Some also worked for Indiana Republicans in Congress.

An earlier iteration of the newly-constituted district was represented by Ethan Evans, who became an independent after declaring his dissatisfaction with the local Democratic Party. He is not seeking re-election.

The Common Cause analysis shows the district leans Democrat, with 56% of the vote share compared with 44% for Republicans.

Roberts told IBJ that if elected, he would be focused on improving the conditions of thoroughfares like Masters, Fall Creek and Sargent roads. Although the district is among the safest in Indianapolis according to crime statistics, Roberts said he would support fully funding police and non-police mental health efforts.

Goodwin works now for a venture capital firm. She noted the same priorities.

To help remedy the current 300-officer police shortage, Goodwin said she would focus on supporting police officers and ensuring they are engaged in the community. On roads, she said it could make sense for a state takeover of state and U.S. roads that run through Marion County. A similar proposal has been mentioned by Shreve.

District 2: North side, includes Meridian Hills and Nora

Former Deputy Prosecutor Brienne Delaney, a Democrat, successfully unseated incumbent Councilor Monroe Gray in the primary. Her campaign spent $34,400 in that effort. She now faces Republican Matt Hills, who defeated Mark Small in the primary.

Hills is a military veteran and management consultant. In him, Republicans see a rare opportunity in the traditionally Democratic northside district due to the lack of an incumbent. But Delaney is backed by some high-profile Democrats—her husband, Tim Moriarty, worked for the Hogsett administration before joining the Faegre Drinker law firm.

Hills has been supported by powerful Republicans, too. He received a $1,000 donation in the primary reporting period from Shreve, who has self-funded most of his own mayoral campaign. His campaign had $14,000 cash-on-hand at the time. Delaney had about $10,000.

Still, the Common Cause analysis shows projects the vote share will be 70% Democrat and 30% Republican.

Hills said one of his first steps if he were elected would be to advocate for funding a bicycle crossing over 86th Street connecting to the Monon Trail. A car struck and killed a cyclist at that intersection almost two years ago. He’s also concerned about the disrepair of the district’s roads and wants to explore better connectivity between parks.

Due to her background as a deputy prosecutor, Delaney told IBJ she would focus on public safety. She supports funding anti-violence initiatives like the Peacemakers program, which provides mentors to potentially at-risk youth, but said she would like to see data on the outcomes of these investments. This would help the city determine next steps for the American Rescue Plan Act-funded program.

MOST TARGETED INCUMBENTS

District 17: Westside, including Ben Davis and Mars Hill

Councilor Jared Evans, a Democrat, has beaten the odds twice before. His 2015 win was a surprise to even the Marion County Democratic Party, who had slated another candidate. This year, the Marion County GOP hopes political newcomer Lisa Schmitz can win the westside seat.

The analysis by Common Cause puts puts the chances of a Democrat victory at just 42%. Marion County Democratic Party Chair Myla Eldridge told IBJ it’s clear the Marion County GOP is focused on the westside district. Evans doesn’t see that as such a bad thing.

“We know it’s a tough seat,” Evans told IBJ. “And to be frank with you, I think having purple seats is what makes better elected officials anyways.”

Marion County GOP Chair Joe Elsener said voters are tired of the status quo.

Schmitz, a not-for-profit founder and artist, said she would focus on improving the area when it comes to policing, homelessness and addiction recovery. She started the Mars Hill Arts Center five years ago. Schmitz also volunteers for organizations supporting domestic violence survivors.

The candidate is married to John Schmitz, the outspoken host of the online “Mouthwash Talk Show.” 

Evans said that when he took office in 2016, his district was at the bottom of the list for infrastructure spending. Now it’s at the top.

Evans said his top priority is to continue the work on updating infrastructure on the westside. Some issues should have been addressed 20 or 30 years ago, he told IBJ.

District 20: Southeast side, including Five Points, a portion of Beech Grove and the Washington Square area

The Common Cause analysis rates just one seat as a potential flip for Democrats. That seat is in the newly-redrawn District 20, which includes incumbent Republican Michael-Paul Hart. He faces Democrat Will Jackson.

Hart was elected in 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for a Statehouse seat last fall, coming up just 300 votes short.

Jackson is the owner of Republic Security. He served on the Center Township Board of Trustees for three years before resigning in December to focus on his run for council.

The Common Cause analysis projects the vote share in the district is 52% Democrat and 48% Republican.

Eldridge, chair of the county Democratic party, said Jackson is well-known in the community.

“We feel strongly that again, we may see the victory in that district as well on election night,” she told IBJ.

Jackson told IBJ he would focus on affordable housing, crime, and infrastructure.

Hart has several issues he’s eyeing to address if he’s reelected. Washington Square Mall will become part of his district, so he wants to revitalize the shopping center.

Many homeowners in the area aren’t currently connected to the city water system, and instead use wells, he told IBJ. The cost to extend water mains is usually borne by the homeowner, so he wants to find a way to fund it differently.

Early voting for the municipal election begins Oct. 11.