"The challenges we face are clear — one-third of children in Indianapolis live in poverty, too many of our schools continue to underperform, and it is harder than ever for middle-class families to find work in the city they call home," Hogsett said. "In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to getting out into our neighborhoods and listening to ideas on how we can make this a safer city to live and raise a family in."I really don't like to hear a mayoral candidate talk about schools. We aren't electing a school superintendent; we're electing a mayor. Mayors should keep their hands off the schools and focus on delivering basic city services efficiently and competently in a way that doesn't incentivize the City's residents to continue their flight to the suburbs, something the current occupant has failed at miserably.
State Rep. Ed DeLaney had already beat Hogsett to the punch in setting up an exploratory committee last month. He's chairing his own committee, while Liane Groth Hulka is serving as his treasurer. DeLaney let it be known he's not going anywhere just because Hogsett jumped into the race. There's always been a bit of competition within the Evan Bayh faction of the Democratic Party between the DeLaneys and Bill Moreau on one side and Hogsett, Joe Andrew and Kip Tew on the other side. DeLaney criticized Ballard's plan to repeal the homestead property tax credit to fund pre-K education. He picks up on the point I made that elimination of the credit will mean a loss of millions of dollars in current funding for Marion Co. schools. "He's robbing Peter to pay Paul," DeLaney told the Indianapolis Star.
Washington Township Trustee and lobbyist Frank Short is nominally in the race as well, although nobody is taking his candidacy very seriously at this point. City-County Council President Maggie Lewis has said she won't run for mayor next year. She's supporting Hogsett.
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