Shackleford’s proposals include more help for small businesses

State Rep. Robin Shackleford, a Democratic candidate for Indianapolis mayor against incumbent mayor Joe Hogsett, said she would slash licensing fees for new businesses and award more city contracts to small, locally owned businesses if she’s elected as part of her economic and community development plan.

The plans were some several initiatives Shackleford discussed Friday as part of her campaign, with her latest proposals covering four areas: economic and community development, health care, housing, and youth and education.

The candidate said she would create a “values-based purchasing plan” to assist local businesses and promote local growth. Under the plan, the city would waive 50% of business licensing fees for new businesses. Those fees are paid to the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services.

In 2022, the city department received $928,023 from business registrations, but only 4% of that amount came from new businesses. If that income was cut in half, the department would need to redirect revenue, according to Kurt Christian, chief communications officer for the department.

A new “local preference” policy would award more city contracts to small, locally owned businesses. She would also create “Economic Impact Zones,” which she said would be in “distressed areas” and mirror state enterprise zones.

Currently, developers seeking city incentives are required to report the projected number of Marion County jobs that would be created. But the state prevents Indianapolis from mandating that all developers create a certain threshold number of local jobs.

Her plan also proposes the creation of a local business grants office that would identify federal resources and award funding to local startups and entrepreneurs.

Health care

Shackleford, a ranking minority member on the Public Health Committee at the Indiana Statehouse, proposed several measures to improve the health of Indianapolis residents.

To provide better health outcomes for Indianapolis residents, Shackleford has proposed a citywide anti-smoking campaign and cessation programs. She said she would also create a partnership with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition and local health care providers to address chronic illnesses.

Her plan also seeks to close racial and economic health care disparities through partnerships with national organizations. The Office of Public Health and Safety would be empowered to investigate claims of mistreatment by hospitals, especially in cases of racial discrimination.

“Some of the legislation that I have tried to get passed is making sure that they’re doing training on diversity and implicit biases,” Shackleford said. “Some of the hospitals are doing it and doing a great job. Some of them will need improvements.”

Shackleford would also work to close food deserts through investments in local food initiatives like neighborhood grocery stores, urban farming and delivery services.

Efforts to provide fresh foods to neighborhoods that have been hurt by the closure of grocery stores also have been underway under the Hogsett administration. In 2020, the Division of Community Nutrition and Food Policy was created in the Office of Public Health and Safety.

The creation of the Indy Fresh Market at 38th and Sheridan streets in the Arlington Woods community’s food desert has been subsidized and supported by the administration.

Shackleford’s plan also includes steps to combat overdoses, like increased availability of treatment and increased awareness.

Housing

The Democratic candidate aims to put 34,000 new affordable housing units on the market in 10 years. She said she would focus on “overlooked” areas like Martindale-Brightwood, the far-east side and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

Several of Shackleford’s housing proposals would require the city to overcome obstacles set by the state. One of her proposals would require landlords to participate in the Indiana Supreme Court’s Pre-Eviction Diversion Program, but the state in 2020 overruled Indianapolis’ ability to regulate landlord-tenant relationships.

Another proposal would seek to change state law. Shackleford said she would build a coalition of mayors and county leaders to call on Gov. Eric Holcomb to overturn that law. Holcomb vetoed the bill initially, but his veto was overturned by the Legislature.

Other proposals aren’t too dissimilar from current city efforts, such as a requirement for developers to fund or construct affordable housing in order to receive city incentives. Developers receiving tax-increment financing have to set aside a number of affordable units, as defined by federal income limits.

Shackleford also proposes using a Houston-style, or housing-first approach to tackling homelessness and the creation of a coalition. Currently, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention fills that role and sets goals for ending homelessness in Indianapolis.

In Shackleford’s plan, she sets a short-term goal of housing 100 homeless veterans in 100 days and a long-term goal of cutting the homeless population in the city in half in 10 years.

In 2021, 1,928 people were homeless during the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention’s annual Point-in-Time Count. A 2018 plan for the city had a goal of ending homelessness by 2023.

Education and Youth

The second new office in the candidate’s policy proposal is an “Office of Youth Intervention” that would provide resources for youth and families with the goal of reducing youth incarceration and recidivism.

Shackleford said she would also create a “Mayor’s Mentorship Initiative” and a citywide internship and apprenticeship program. Internship programming would start with the city offices, but could be expanded to partners like health care providers, she added.

The Hogsett administration does have ongoing programs that resemble those proposals, like the Modern Apprenticeship program from Employ Indy and Project Indy, which connects teens and young adults with summer jobs.

Shackleford’s agenda also aims to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color.

In 2021, not-for-profit education news site Chalkbeat reported that only 8% of Black students in Indiana passed both the English and math sections of the state’s standardized testing, compared with 46.5% of Asian students, 34.7% of white students, and 15.6% Hispanic students.

Shackleford said she would foster a partnership between the city and Indianapolis Public Schools to implement programs involving peer-to-peer support groups and community guidance counselors. To ensure students have access to academic assistance, Shackleford has proposed placing a qualified tutor at every city park community center.

The Democratic primary is May 2 and candidates Clif Marsiglio, Larry Vaughn, and Bob Kern are also running. On the Republican side, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, Jefferson Shreve, the Rev. James W. Jackson and John Couch are competing.