2015
VOTER GUIDE
VOT DAMM E, I T!
BY AMBER STEARNS AND MICHAEL RHEINHEIMER • ASTEARNS@NUVO.NET
T
he faces of the legislative body that runs in Unigov in Indianapolis will change with the upcoming municipal election. Following the elections in 2011 the districts for the CityCounty Council were redrawn and approved in 2012. One year later, the state Legislature approved the elimination of the four at-large council seats that represented the entire county, reducing the council from a 29-member body to a 25-member body. In some districts two incumbents are battling for one seat while in others the new districts mean a brand new face to the council regardless of who wins. The face of the City-County Council of Indianapolis will change. It is inevitable. Exactly what that face will look like will depend on voters and who shows up to the polls Tuesday, November 3. Since the Republican Party held the mayor’s office in 2011, the GOP controlled the redistricted lines, which statistically favor their party 15-10. The atlarge seats were historically held by Democrats and more often than not gave Democrats the numbers needed to hold a majority.
TURN FOR
What will that council look like on November 4? Only voters can decide that for certain. So here is the chance to learn about who is running and what they stand for. Of course, it is hard to make the case to voters that they should care to take time out of their day to cast a ballot when the candidates on that ballot can’t take the time to respond to a simple 8 question survey to get a feel for their position on the issues. It is fascinating to see, in this day and age of cyber-communication and all things web-universe, how little information can be found on the internet about some local candidates. Some do not have websites or if they do, it is merely a vehicle for fundraising with little to no information about who they are as potential city leaders. It can make a researcher’s job more than a little difficult. And for the casual voter, it’s makes the question, “Why should I care?” even that much harder to answer and the decision to head to the nearest coffee shop instead of the polls that much easier. Read ahead, then make plans to vote. The future of Indianapolis depends on it. n
ALL 25 DISTRICTS! NUVO // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // 10.21.15 - 10.28.15 // VOTER GUIDE V1
District
1 LEROY ROBINSON
DEMOCRAT
BRIAN JONES
REPUBLICAN
One of Leroy Robinson’s champion issues is addressing the homeless and income inequality in Indianapolis. The at-large incumbent drafted the Homeless Bill of Rights for Indianapolis, which was the first of its kind for any U.S. city. Opponent Brian Jones supports the upcoming Homeless Engagement Center initiated by Robinson. While Jones believes IMPD does not have an image problem, he does put public safety at the top of the city’s priority list and would like the state Legislature to increase penalties for gun crimes and possession of illegal guns.
District
2 KIP TEW
both see the city’s deal with Covanta as a step in the wrong direction. Tew supports raising the minimum wage and adopting a retail worker bill of rights as a means of narrowing the income gap. Fanning believes the income gap requires a long-term strategy that focuses on better education. Goldstein does not believe the income gap is as big an issue as it is portrayed. Tew would like the House of Representatives to pass statewide anti discrimination laws. Fanning would like them to focus on economic issues, and Goldstein wants them to end the war on drugs by decriminalizing marijuana use.
District
3
PAM HICKMAN
DEMOCRAT
CHRISTINE SCALES
REPUBLICAN
CHRISTOPHER BOWEN
LIBERTARIAN
DEMOCRAT
COLLEEN FANNING
REPUBLICAN
SAM GOLDSTEIN
LIBERTARIAN
Incumbent At-Large councilman Kip Tew and Colleen Fanning agree that the city needs to invest in mass transit. However Sam Goldstein thinks any form of light rail would be a waste of taxpayer money. He instead wants the city to focus on what he calls a “workable bus system.” Tew and Fanning
Thanks to the new district lines and the elimination of the four atlarge seats, incumbent councilors Pam Hickman and Christine Scales are battling to represent a portion of the north-northeast side of the city. Scales was not the endorsed GOP candidate in the primary and is known for voting her conscience, which sometimes varies from her party’s position. Hickman would like to see recycling increased in the city, but questions the financial and environmental responsibility of the Covanta deal. Hickman also sees public safety as the top issue in the city that needs to be addressed. Chris Bowen ran for mayor of Indianapolis in 2011 and also for Lawrence Township Trustee in 2010.
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District
4 RAY BIEDERMAN
DEMOCRAT
MIKE MCQUILLEN
more initiatives to address mental illness would help the problem of homelessness and other cities around the country, like Seattle, could serve as examples of how to address issues of income inequality and mass transit.
District
6
FRANK ISLAS
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRAT District 12 incumbent Mike McQuillen and challenger Ray Biederman agree that mass transit needs to be expanded. However, McQuillen believes that IndyGo expansion should be the focus while Biederman would like to ensure that low-income areas of the city will receive service. Both candidates believe that there is confusion about the Covanta deal, and that good can still come from it. Biederman believes the most pressing issue facing the city is crime, which he wants to address by expanding the police force, while McQuillen believes the most pressing issues are all about quality of life.
District
5
CURTIS BIGBEE
DEMOCRAT
JEFFREY COATS
REPUBLICAN
JANICE MCHENRY
District
8
MONROE GRAY JR.
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRAT Frank Islas is challenging incumbent Janice McHenry to represent the northwest side of Indianapolis. McHenry believes neighborhood development is the most pressing issue facing the city, which includes good schools, streets and sidewalks, quality of life amenities and good-paying jobs. McHenry also believes Indianapolis should initiate a commuter tax for individuals who work in the city, but live outside of Marion County. Islas is a U.S. marine who has worked in Indy’s advanced manufacturing industry for many years. He currently is employed with RollsRoyce America on the west side. Islas was unavailable for comment on the issues.
District
7
JOE SIMPSON
DEMOCRAT Jeffrey Coats currently is a councilman on the Lawrence City Council and hopes to bring his experience to Indianapolis. Coats would like to improve public safety by increasing the number of police officers on the streets and restoring the number of fire apparatus in the city to 2011 levels. Curtis Bigbee, a Lawrence law enforcement officer, believes any and all aspects of public safety initiatives should be explored. Bigbee also believes
best way to tackle income inequality is to expand council support of educators and after school programs. She would also like to see the city partner with employers to train workers. Simpson believes that funding for homeless services is good, and that there is only so much funding for these services. Slash believes the city can fight homelessness by expanding existing partnerships with groups that seek to provide services.
PATRICK MIDLA
REPUBLICAN
Monroe Gray Jr. is running for his sixth term in office. Attorney Patrick Midla hopes to interrupt Gray’s record of service. Midla supports the city administration’s deal with Covanta, calling it “a tremendous step in the effort to expand recycling in an efficient manner.” Midla also supports increasing the number of police officers on the street as opposed to equipping existing officers with body cameras. Midla believes the biggest issues facing the city are all interconnected in the way of economic development, education and pubic safety and all should be a priority. Gray is a retired Indianapolis firefighter.
District ADRIENNE SLASH
9
WILLIAM OLIVER
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRAT
Joe Simpson believes the city should raise the minimum wage for all city employees and provide more jobs for Marion County. Adrienne Slash believes that the
CHUCK MADDEN
REPUBLICAN
Business owner Chuck Madden believes in recycling and would like to see the current fees reduced or eliminated to encourage more curbside recycling. Madden believes the biggest issues facing our city are intertwined and cannot be separated out individually. Education, drug and gun crime, poverty, dysfunctional families, e.g. are all issues that need to be addressed collectively with a “what can I do to help? attitude instead of a “someone needs to do something” attitude. Incumbent William “Duke” Oliver is a retired Chrysler employee and UAW member. Oliver was first elected to the City-County Council in 2003.
District
10
MAGGIE LEWIS
DEMOCRAT
TERRY BIBLE
REPUBLICAN
Incumbent Maggie Lewis is the current president of the City-County Council and is the first woman in the history of the council to hold that position. Lewis’ profile on her councilor page for the city details a laundry list of nonprofit involvement, including the International Marketplace in the Lafayette Square area. Terry Bible is challenging Lewis for the district 10 seat. Bible is listed as a federal contractor with Lockheed Martin, according to her LinkedIn page. Her photo on indyrepublicans. com links to her Facebook page, which offers no information about her candidacy. Neither candidate responded to NUVO’s questionnaire about the issues.
#TewforTwo District
11 VOP OSILI
DEMOCRAT
REMINGTON O’GUIN
REPUBLICAN
Vop Osili is running for his second term as a City-County Councillor. The real estate developer and architect works as a city representative to expand economic opportunities in challenged communities. According to his Facebook page, Remington “Remy” O’Guin works for Gexpro, an electrical supply store, as a member of the commercial and industrial team. Prior to that, he worked in member services at the Indiana House of Representatives. Neither candidate has a website for his campaign, nor did either respond to NUVO’s issue questionnaire.
District
12
BLAKE JOHNSON
DEMOCRAT
SUSAN SMITH
REPUBLICAN
MICHAEL GUNYON
LIBERTARIAN
Susan Smith is willing to take a look at the Covanta contract to make sure it is in the best interest of the city and our environment. She also believes IMPD has struck the right balance between public safety and citizens’ rights. However she believes the city has looked for too many quick fixes to the issues
it faces and should take the time necessary to address the bigger picture of income inequities, homelessness and mass transit. Smith supports the city’s involvement as an active participant in education for stronger neighborhoods and health communities. According to his website, johnsonforcouncil.com, Blake Johnson believes public safety is the biggest priority facing Indianapolis. He also feels stronger neighborhoods in terms of streets, sidewalks, city services and parks are also important. According to his Facebook page, Michael Gunyon would like to address crime in the city and work on programs that help keep kids out of trouble. Gunyon is employed by the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.
District
13
STEPHEN CLAY
DEMOCRAT
District
LEKEISHA JACKSON
DEMOCRAT
TERRY DOVE
REPUBLICAN
Neither candidate in District 14 responded to NUVO’s issues questionnaire. The candidates also do not have any websites or social media presence associated with their campaigns. Incumbent LeKeisha Jackson is the executive director of Pathway Resource Center, a non-profit Neighborhood Networks Center established through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Terry Dove is managing partner at The Merit Group, a business-consulting firm.
District TERRY MILLERPENQUITE
REPUBLICAN
Incumbent Stephen Clay is a strong advocate for income equality and initiatives that create jobs and educational opportunities. However he also believes the city’s role in public education is advisory and consultative with regards to the business and economic needs of the community. Clay says police brutality is a reality in our community and public safety must seek to strike the right balance between law enforcement and citizens’ rights. He believes cultural sensitivity training and greater transparency of the offending officers would help. Challenger Terry Miller-Penquite did not respond to NUVO’s questionnaire on the issues. Her Facebook page lists her as an instructional assistant for Warren Township schools.
14
1 1 3 2 0 1 5
TEW for District 2
V O T E
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15 CHRISTOPHER WALL
DEMOCRAT
MARILYN PFISTERER
REPUBLICAN
LAURIE WORKS
LIBERTARIAN
With three candidates in this race, one would think that at least one of them would have responded to NUVO’s questionnaire on the issues. However, one would be mistaken with that assumption. Marilyn Pfisterer is the incumbent in this race and is running for her third term on the council.
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Christopher Wall is a glazier (architectural metal and glass worker) and member of the United Glaziers Local 1165. NUVO could find no information about Laurie Works.
District
16
EMILY SHROCK
DEMOCRAT
JEFF MILLER
REPUBLICAN
and reducing the city’s carbon footprint. Adamson believes income inequality can first be tackled by paying all city workers a living wage, while Spiers believes the real issue is a lack of skilled labor. Both candidates would like the state Legislature to leave Indianapolis alone. Spiers believes improving public education is the most important issue facing the city. Adamson believes city government corruption is the most pressing issue.
District
18
EDDIE BARNES
DEMOCRAT Emily Shrock says she is reminded daily as deputy prosecutor of the crime in Indianapolis and the need for a solution. She wants to use her time on the City County Council to address it through better policing and by attacking the underlying issues. She would also like to see the Statehouse stop proposing “half-baked fixes” that do not actually address discrimination. Incumbent Jeff Miller sees neighborhood success as the key to stopping the spread of crime. He would like to see the city invest in removing eyesores like burned and abandoned buildings. He would like the Statehouse to stop passing laws that cut down on Indy’s ability to govern itself.
District
17
ZACH ADAMSON
DEMOCRAT
SUSIE CORDI
REPUBLICAN
IUPUI freshman Eddie Barnes believes the council needs to work with local environmental groups to promote awareness about how people can improve the environment. He also wants to push for a more eco-friendly mass transit system. Susie Cordi wants to see more alternative energy powered vehicles in the city fleet and continued support for the Bike Share program. Like Barnes, Cordi believes in mass transit, but believes it should be a totally selfsupporting program. Barnes would like to see the CCC work together with state legislators of the doughnut counties to expand to consider the viability of a regional mass transit system.
SALLY SPIERS
REPUBLICAN
Incumbent Zach Adamson is against the Covanta deal, and he believes in making recycling free by charging more for other solid waste disposal. Opponent Sally Spiers believes the council should encourage recycling
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District
19 DAVID RAY
DEMOCRAT
BEN HUNTER
pressing issue facing the city is crime, which is tied to problems in the education system, while Holliday believes it is too hard for the city to attract and retain economic development that would benefit everyone.
District
21
FRANK MASCARI
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRAT David Ray believes the key to fighting income inequality in Indianapolis is by supporting unions and attracting jobs to the city. He would also like to see a greater support for local businesses. He says it is his priority to see more police officers on the streets in District 19 to improve safety. Incumbent Ben Hunter was first elected to the City-County Council in 2007. He is currently employed at Butler University. No other information about the candidate is available and Hunter did not respond to NUVO’s questionnaire about the issues.
District
20
JOHN EASTER
DEMOCRAT
JASON HOLLIDAY
REPUBLICAN
ANTHONY DAVIDSON
District
23
REPUBLICAN Anthony Davidson and district 21 incumbent Frank Mascari agree that the council should do more to make Indianapolis green. Mascari is currently working with Zach Adamson to renegotiate the city’s contract with BlueIndy. Mascari is hopeful a new deal will allow the city to move where some of the cars were placed. Davidson would like to see the city expand and improve on the bike lanes. Davidson believes some of the most pressing issues are infrastructure and crumbling streets. Mascari would like to see the council address infrastructure by working to install LED streetlights to help energy costs and brighten up dark neighborhoods. Mascari also supports Hogsett’s plan to put 150 more officers on the street.
22
JARED EVANS
DEMOCRAT
DOUGLAS MCNAUGHTON
LIBERTARIAN
Scott Krieder and Douglas McNaughton agree that increasing the quality of life is the greatest challenge facing Indianapolis. However, McNaughton believes that the police currently spend too much time focusing on what he considers victimless crimes and not going after violent criminals. He believes the state Legislature should decriminalize marijuana use. Krieder believes in focusing on increasing quality of life by attracting and retaining quality jobs. McNaughton believes homeless services can be delivered more efficiently by private entities, except for in what he calls “dire emergencies.” Krieder wants to continue Ballard’s push for a new homeless engagement center.
District ROBERT LUTZ
REPUBLICAN
Robert Lutz believes the city’s partnership with Covanta is a step
cillor’s page on indy.gov, Sandlin is a retired Indianapolis police officer and a former law firm administrator for the law firm Harrison & Mobley. Following those careers, Sandlin opened his own business specializing in fraud examination, private investigation and security consultation.
District
25
JEFF WHEELER
DEMOCRAT
SCOTT KRIEDER
REPUBLICAN
District District 20s incumbent Jason Holliday believes that the council should continue to support legislation like the Complete Streets Initiative. Challenger John Easter would like to make the city greener by promoting urban farming, community gardening urban beekeeping. Holliday supports a parent’s decision to choose between private, public and charter schools. Easter would like to see the council stop granting so many charters to charter schools. Easter also believes that the most
in the right direction for increasing the city’s ability to recycle. He also believes the council should increase the number of bike lanes available, and also support the growth of the Bike Share program. We would also like the state house to increase funding for Indianapolis’ public safety. Jared Evans is a native and resident of the west side of Indianapolis. Although he did not respond to NUVO’s issues questionnaire, Evans does have a website at evansforcouncil.com.
24
JACK SANDLIN
REPUBLICAN
Incumbent Jack Sandlin is running unopposed. According to his coun-
AARON FREEMAN
REPUBLICAN
MIKE JASPER
LIBERTARIAN
Incumbent Aaron Freeman believes that providing good education is a top priority for the council, and supports charter school development. Mike Jasper (I) believes that private and charter schools add to the variety necessary for individual students and families. Jeff Wheeler believes that public money should be used for public schools, not charter schools. Jasper agrees that use of public funds requires accountability, saying the ultimate test is if the student can be financially independent as an adult. Mike Jasper wants a private mass transit system, while Freeman believes it must be supported by the entire central Indiana region. Wheeler would like to see Indy develop a transit system using federal grants.
VOTE, DAM MIT!