Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett outlined plans to tackle food insecurity in his state of the city address, stating that he would soon submit to the Indianapolis City-County Council a “significant investment for programming.”
The mayor’s office says the strategy is a way to meet the city’s growing infrastructure needs—which amount to $160 million per year—without raising taxes. But the proposal would create winners and losers among area counties, even as it addresses what’s considered a regional problem.
The city of Indianapolis has called the 19-acre property southeast of the intersection of 42nd Street and Post Road a “threat to public health, safety and welfare.”
With 30% of the vote in, Democrat Joe Hogsett, who has served as mayor since 2016, had 83% of the vote compared to opponent Denise Hatch, a retired Center Township resident, who had 17 percent. State Sen. Jim Merritt had 82% in the GOP primary.
Incumbent Joe Hogsett and Republican Jim Merritt are expected to easily win their primaries in the Indianapolis mayor’s race. In Hamilton County, the races could be more interesting.
In Hamilton County, the increase is likely tied in part to some interesting GOP primary battles. In Marion County, voters could choose to vote early at any of three different polling sites for the first time in a decade. Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Incumbent Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett and GOP challenger Jim Merritt are expected to win their parties’ nominations easily. Meanwhile in Fishers and Carmel, incumbents are fending off primary challenges.
State Sen. Jim Merritt will be able to campaign for mayor full time after the legislative session ends this month, representatives say. In the meantime, Merritt is “very pleased” with his fundraising.
Mayor Hogsett and Council President Vop Osili have decided to pool resources and launch what Democrats say is the first true citywide coordinated campaign in Marion County to re-elect the mayor and expand the party’s majority on the 25-member council.
The often-bipartisan Indianapolis City-County Council cast a rare politically divided vote Monday night on a proposal that would, among other things, spend nearly $850,000 to buy new vehicles for city employees.
As city crews fill potholes on Indianapolis streets, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s likely Republican challenger in this fall’s election is trying to define the mayor by those same pockmarked roads.
Representatives from the city were in New York City on Thursday to entice investors to buy bonds to fund the new criminal justice center—a milestone in the giant public project.
The proposed tax abatement is related to a $91 million investment the company is making in a building at the Lilly Technology Center on Kentucky Avenue.
The move was a big victory for neighborhood leaders who had been fighting to keep in place the city’s ban on digital billboards.
In the two years since the initiative started, the city of Indianapolis has spent $24.3 million—largely in federal funds—to demolish, build or rehab more than 2,500 homes.
The fund is designed to tackle “the significant lack of service provider capacity” that grew after Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in 2017 launched an effort to provide 400 more housing units for the homeless.
Jose Evans has decided to not to run for mayor and has thrown his support behind State Sen. Jim Merritt. And City-County Council member Jefferson Shreve, who replaced Jeff Miller last year, won’t seek a return to the council after his current term ends.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has a huge fundraising advantage over his Republican challengers, who are starting their campaigns with bank accounts in the four-figure range.
Council Vice President Zach Adamson said “we all have received lots of calls” on the proposal and said postponing the matter would “allow additional conversation” on whether or not to amend the proposal or accept it as written.
Jim Merritt, who will formally announce his campaign Thursday afternoon, told IBJ he was running for mayor because he “loves my city,” and is concerned about the city’s high number of murders and “rampant homelessness.”
