Public safety, housing, roads | What you need to know about Indianapolis mayoral candidates
13News reporter Lauren Kostiuk interviewed the two candidates for mayor of Indianapolis about their priorities and their thoughts on the biggest challenges.
Indianapolis voters will elect the next mayor on Nov. 7. The candidates on the ballot include Democrat incumbent Mayor Joe Hogsett and Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve.
It’s a race dominated by TV ads and countless speeches. That’s why 13News wants you to get to know the candidates one-on-one.
The main issues driving this election are public safety, lack of affordable housing and crumbling roads. Both candidates agree these issues are a top priority for the city.
Below you'll find more information about the candidates, their priorities and extended interviews with 13News reporter Lauren Kostiuk.
Democrat Joe Hogsett
Democrat Joe Hogsett is the current mayor of Indianapolis. He was first elected in 2016. He previously served for four years as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Hogsett said he wants to run for a third term after he said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed some of his plans and projects, saying he wants to “finish the job.”
Some of those projects include the Pam Am Plaza redevelopment and convention center expansion with the Hilton Signa Hotel.
“I love Indianapolis. Indianapolis has been my home for my entire adult life. It's a place that I care about as a location, but I care more about its people and their future,” Hogsett said.
Public safety
During his term, Hogsett created a $150 million violence reduction plan, which gave more funding to police, crime-fighting technology and grassroots organizations.
Most recently, Hogsett hired three attorneys who will report to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecute federal gun crimes.
Another priority Hogsett announced is getting illegal guns off the streets. He said he is working with the General Assembly to change state laws surrounding gun regulations for Indianapolis.
He is looking to repeal permitless carry, ban assault weapons and raise the age to purchase a firearm to 21 years old.
Those ordinances were passed by City-County Council but can’t go into effect because of state law.
“I'm not the mayor of Indiana. I'm the mayor of Indianapolis. So all I'm simply asking is for the General Assembly to allow Indianapolis people to be at the table when these decisions are made,” Hogsett said.
In the 2024 proposed budget, Hogsett also increased IMPD’s budget to $323 million. First-year IMPD recruit wages would increase to $72,000, along with a 3% overall raise for veteran IMPD officers.
Housing
Hogsett said he has increased the affordable housing supply during his two terms. He said his administration is also helping people still in their homes through the property tax relief program.
In the 2024 proposed budget, Hogsett set aside funds for an anti-displacement pilot program in Riverside.
“We want to make sure that everybody and anybody who wants to buy a home or rent an apartment has the availability to do it,” Hogsett said. “The truth is, is that our housing stock is not keeping up with the demand. That is why this administration has focused historically high levels of resources into a wide variety of different units of housing and different price points.”
Hogsett said he wants to continue that promise, especially downtown.
Infrastructure
Hogsett said the state’s road funding formula is not equitable when it comes to the money Indianapolis receives. Right now, Indianapolis receives the least dollars per capita from the state compared to the 91 other counties.
“We are working with the General Assembly on a new funding formula that is more equitable for more densely populated communities,” Hogsett said.
“How have those talks been going?” Kostiuk asked.
“I think it's going very well. I don't harbor any illusion that we're going to be able to wave a magic wand and get that funding formula changed in the next session of the General Assembly,” Hogsett said. “But I will say that in this last session of the General Assembly, the state agreed through the legislature to change the way Indianapolis’ population is judged for purposes of distribution of road funding.”
Hogsett said the Department of Public Works is also working on a five-year capital plan to improve roads, bridges, sidewalks, trails, bike lanes and drainage. Right now, it is set at $1.1 billion, but the 2024 proposed budget is looking to increase it to $1.2 billion.
Republican Jefferson Shreve
Jefferson Shreve is the Republican challenger for mayor of Indianapolis. He is the founder of Storage Express and sold the company in 2022.
He served on the City-County Council from 2012 to 2019.
“After my last stint on the City-County Council, I did not think I'd be a candidate again. I was optimistic like a lot of us when Joe Hogsett ran that he would deliver for our city…but he's letting me down,” Shreve said. “I can sit on the sidelines and be let down, or I can bring to bear the experiences that I've got at a juncture in my life where I've got the time, the resources and the energy to do it better.”
Shreve said he considers himself a moderate Republican.
Public safety
Shreve said he wants to hire a public safety director who has professional and executive experience, which is a position Indianapolis had before Hogsett took office. The major thrust of Shreve's campaign is focused on policing and crime.
“We have become so numb to it in ways that a great city should not. We should not be numb to this,” Shreve said. “It's a foundational problem that we have to begin to turn around and where the Shreve administration will turn its attention first.”
Shreve also wants to shift the city’s budget to increase police retention and recruiting goals.
Right now, IMPD is short more than 300 officers despite increased pay and incentives.
“Why do you think we're having such a hard time recruiting officers onto the force?” Kostiuk asked.
“Leadership, or a lack of leadership in the IMPD from the very top. This is not a fiscal problem. We have funded and authorized 320 additional officers than we have on the force. Mayor Hogsett has 140 fewer officers on our force today than when he took office in 2016,” Shreve said.
Shreve believes there are far too many guns in the hands of people who should not legally possess one. That is why Shreve wants to work with the General Assembly to change state law within Indianapolis.
That includes raising the age to repeal permitless carry, ban assault weapons and raise the age to purchase a firearm to 21 years old.
Housing
Shreve said the problem is that the housing supply is not catching up with the demand in Marion County.
“It leaves families oftentimes one missed paycheck away from hitting the wall,” Shreve said.
Shreve said even though the mayor can’t influence national trends, he believes the mayor can still have an influence locally. His plan is to add more opportunities for homeownership, especially in Black communities.
“The Shreve administration will work with the banking community, and the number of federal programs to encourage that under the Community Reinvestment Act,” he said.
Shreve also looks to improve the Department of Metropolitan Development and the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services.
Infrastructure
“We don’t have enough money. The formula and the ground rules work against Marion County,” Shreve said.
When it comes to changing the state’s road funding formula, Shreve wants to work with mayors in surrounding counties to create a stronger voice.
“This mayor is going to spend significantly more time down at that end of Market Street going into the next session of the General Assembly to make this case, but I'm going to do it hand-in-hand with the mayoral leadership in our donut counties,” Shreve said.
He also believes it’s important the city is more efficient when it comes to resources and spending, saying some construction projects are lasting too long.
Shreve also wants to prioritize pedestrian safety and improve the city’s trails.
You can find more information about voting in Indianapolis here.