Marion County GOP's List Of Mayoral Candidates Down To Olgen Williams And Scott Keller

Howey Politics' Brian Howey is reporting that Deputy Mayor for Neighborhoods Olgen Williams and former City-County Councilor Olgen Williams are mulling potential runs for Indianapolis mayor next year as Republicans.

Williams is an ex-felon convicted of stealing money from the U.S. Post Office where he formerly worked, a crime he blamed on a drug addiction problem. He was later pardoned by President George W. Bush so he could run for the Indianapolis Public School board, a position he resigned after Ballard named him a deputy mayor. Some in the Ballard administration blamed Williams for bringing to the administration a couple of city employees, John Hawkins and Reggie Walton, who were later charged by federal prosecutors in a kickback scheme related to the City's Land Bank program.

Keller served one term on the City-County Council after narrowly defeating Democrat Karen Celestino-Horseman in a highly competitive, near southeast side district. Keller, a champion of gay rights as the sponsor of the City's Human Rights Ordinance, lost re-election to Democrat Brian Mahern in 2007, the same year Ballard won his upset victory over Bart Peterson and Republicans regained control of the council. Some blamed Keller's loss for antagonizing Republican voters with his support of Peterson's 65% increase in the local income tax after many property owners faced massive property tax increases. Keller also endorsed and campaigned for the re-election of Peterson in 2007 over his party's candidate for mayor. Keller lost a bid for state representative in 2012 to Democrat Dan Forestal.

Howey reports that former City-County Councilor Jeff Cardwell, now a top aide to Gov. Mike Pence and the owner of Cardwell's Do It Best hardware store, is considering a run as is Public Safety Director Troy Riggs, who only recently moved to Indianapolis from Texas after his predecessor, Frank Straub, left the Ballard administration to become Spokane's new chief of police.

UPDATE: Add to the list of potential Republican mayoral candidates Councilor Jose Evans. He's a Democrat-turned Republican who is now in the same district with Councilor Angela Mansfield, an opponent he would have a difficult time defeating.