Editorials

We think the endowment’s primary focus should be maximizing its own financial firepower and operational impact.

So many big stories of 2019—Roger Penske’s purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, big acquisitions by Eli Lilly and Co. and Elanco, the launch of the Red Line—were as much about the future as they were about the past.

In its campaign to win back control of three schools, IPS implied that all three buildings would continue to serve Indianapolis families. We hope that was more than lip service.

The council’s discussion next year should not be whether to approve a pay raise. That’s a slam dunk. It should be about choosing an amount that’s fair and determining how to avoid this kerfuffle in the future.

House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said at a Nov. 18 panel discussion convened by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce that they will support legislation raising the smoking age.
That’s welcome news in the face of estimates that more than 90% of adult smokers start as teenagers.

Hogsett has set the table to tackle both problems by balancing the city’s budget during his first term. It’s time to use that fiscal stability to more aggressively attack the problems that keep Indianapolis from growing and achieving at the same level as some of its peers.

We’re confident that IMS and the racing series will benefit from having Penske, a proven businessman known as “The Captain,” at the helm. But that alone isn’t enough to ensure a new era of prosperity for the iconic, 110-year-old venue.

All four projects are worthy of funding. But what makes them special as a group is that they will serve such a diverse group of people—tech workers and startups, ex-offenders, homeless families and the African American community—while enhancing all of Indianapolis.

State legislators should be receptive. It’s a reasonable follow-up to the 2015 Regional Cities Initiative, which split $126 million in tax amnesty funds among three regions.

Surely there are other developers up to the task of transforming the former GM stamping plant into a lively development. Ambrose can save face by working diligently with the city to make sure the opportunity that Waterside represented isn’t wasted.

Hogsett and other elected officials have proposed solutions and funding to fight homelessness and panhandling, but all the general public sees is a problem getting worse.

We hope our Impact Indiana series—which has been packed full of statistics about corporate social responsibility—encourages business leaders to think not just about how encouraging volunteerism or getting involved in social issues can impact the community. It’s also about how such activities can bolster corporate bottom lines.

Teens today are getting addicted to nicotine through vaping—without ever having tried a cigarette. And while that may be better than teens becoming addicted to smoking, it’s even better if they never start at all.

The Red Line (and its proposed companion routes, the Purple Line on the northeast side and the east-west Blue Line along Washington Street), along with more frequent service on all routes, is our best shot at giving commuters in car-centric Indianapolis a legitimate choice of how to travel.

IBJ is seeking instead to host a true discussion with the major-party candidates about the significant issues facing the city and the current and next administrations. So there will be no traditional time limits. No podiums. No props.

It’s time for a big-picture, public discussion about re-envisioning the 791,000-square-foot property—rather than continuing the status quo of having mall officials do the best they can to plug vacancies in the property as it’s currently configured.