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The election is over, so it’s time for the next one to begin in earnest—at least here in the Circle City.
The race I’m talking about isn’t going to take place next year, when there are no elections in Indiana, or even the year after that, when we’ll find out what the midterms have in store.
No, I’m talking about the 2027 race for Indianapolis mayor, which, if we’re honest, has been going on since before the last mayoral election in 2023, when Mayor Joe Hogsett fended off a primary challenge from State Rep. Robin Shackleford and went on to win a third term in office.
If you’re even remotely plugged into local politics, you know several folks other than Shackleford have been jockeying to be Indy’s next chief executive for quite some time.
And that was before the public learned what we know now about the mayor’s former second-in-command sexually harassing women who worked for him for the better part of a decade while maintaining a position of prominence both in the cabinet and on the campaign.
Since then, allegations of sexual harassment have come to light involving additional men in Hogsett’s administration. At least one has been fired.
All of which is to say, a fourth term is unlikely.
I’m not here to dish on who’s in the running to replace Hogsett, but rather to put forward some questions candidates could consider as they ramp up their campaigns.
Should this be a “big vision” or “everyday challenges” election?
From Unigov to professional sports dreams to convention and tourism traffic, there’s an argument to be made that running for the city’s top job requires bold, breathtaking ideas. After all, a lot of those big dreams have made us the city we are today.
Still, every time I drive down the alley behind our house, I worry about snapping an axle. I know I’m not alone, and I wonder if there’s an opportunity for a candidate who wants to get back to the basics of local government.
How much should we focus on downtown?
Along those lines, much of our success as a city has stemmed from downtown development over the past three decades. I’ve long adhered to former Mayor Bill Hudnut’s mantra that we “can’t be a suburb of nothing,” but I also live downtown and benefit daily from the focus on the Mile Square.
How do the hundreds of thousands of residents who’ll never attend a Pacers game or dine out on Mass Ave feel about local leadership? Are they getting what they need in their neighborhoods?
How will the next mayor work with the General Assembly and surrounding counties?
It’s no secret that the elected officials on the east and west ends of Market Street don’t always see eye to eye. The next mayor has an opportunity to reset relations between state lawmakers and city officials and to forge their own partnerships with leaders in the surrounding counties that power the engine of regional economic development.
Who will be the next generation of leaders?
Only one person will get to be the next mayor, but it takes a lot of people to run a city. Executive officeholders are responsible for staffing up lots of departments and roles; many community leaders in Indianapolis today got their start working for a mayor or governor. Whoever wins in 2027 will have the opportunity to build their own diverse team and create a new generation of leaders, and that in itself is something to look forward to.•
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Chartier is a lifelong Indianapolis resident and owner of Mass Ave Public Relations. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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