The 40th through 44th mayors of Indianapolis gathered for the first time at the University of Indianapolis’ Ransburg Auditorium last Friday. What could have been a boring affair instead was a lively, informative retrospective of Indianapolis’ successes and unfinished goals and dreams.
Richard Lugar, Bill Hudnut, Steve Goldsmith and Bart Peterson upstaged current Mayor Greg Ballard. Showing him and the front runner to succeed him, Melina Kennedy, who was in the audience, what being mayor of Indianapolis really means.
Hearing Ballard’s predecessors talk about their accomplishments and successes, reminded me (and many in the audience) of our current mayor’s shortcomings, failures and small-mindedness.
This column, as always, is written from an African-American perspective. That’s how I watched the five mayors event. I was fearful that race, a central issue in Indianapolis during the UniGov era, would be ignored by the questioners from the Indianapolis Star, which co-sponsored the event with the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and the university.
But race was discussed from jump street, from Richard Lugar’s opening remarks where he talked about the climate in 1968, “People were worried about racial strife when I began as mayor,” Lugar declared.
Indiana’s longest serving U.S. senator stressed the importance of Indianapolis’ mayors reaching out and building bridges and dialoguing with friends and adversaries. Something our current mayor loathes to do.
Lugar gave an example, saying during the battle to create UniGov he “met with all 50 senators and all 100 representatives in the legislature.” Our current mayor doesn’t deign to meet with Democratic legislators from his own city.
Hudnut, one of America’s leading urban experts, stole the show with blunt talk about prejudice.
“I don’t think they (immigrants) will feel welcome,” Hudnut thundered, “If Indiana passes a law a lot like Arizona. Pandering to the prejudice and fear of people is not what this city is all about. And that’s not what America is all about.
“We talk about Hoosier hospitality,” Hudnut continued, “It’s terrible what happened in Arizona and I hope it doesn’t happen in Indiana or in Indianapolis through a city-county ordinance.”
Hudnut’s strong words received a loud, sustained ovation. And placed Ballard in an uncomfortable position since Ballard, who governs a city with thousands of immigrants, has been silent on this issue.
Unlike other key community, business and state leaders, Ballard’s not signed the Indiana Compact, which denounces the hateful immigration legislation. The mayor visibly squirmed as he tried to respond.
“It is a federal issue. (But) we’re going to have a hodgepodge of laws that make no sense. We try to be as welcoming as we can. We want Indianapolis to embrace everybody else. Sometimes the law is the law, but sometimes it is a signal.”
What does that mean?
Another bombshell came when Hudnut (who’s still revered by many in our African-American community) took direct aim at Ballard’s retreat from Hudnut and subsequent mayoral policy on increasing diversity in the city’s police and fire departments.
Looking directly at Ballard, Hudnut talked about his commitment to affirmative action. “The first week I was in office I put out this executive order requiring that every new recruit class have at least 20 percent minority and female. Because that was the percentage of minorities in the patrolling district. I hope it’s higher (now) than the 10 percent to 12 percent it was when I came in.”
Under Ballard, diversity in public safety has declined precipitously.
Hudnut blasted public safety’s promotion policies saying, “It’s wrong if police are promoted just because it’s on a list. I said why don’t we have a circle and pick from the circle and not from a list.”
Challenged by Hudnut’s bold words, Ballard struggled to respond, and in doing so all but told Indianapolis’ African-American, Hispanic, Asian communities and women that it’ll be another generation before real diversity comes to public safety.
“I’ll tell you where it is right now,” said Ballard directly looking at Hudnut. “It is extremely frustrating. People do feel disenfranchised because of the police department. (But) you’ve got to remember where I came from. I spent 23 years in the military.”
Speaking of IMPD’s troubles, Ballard declared, “I was shocked at some of the things that I found. There is no leadership training. We’re changing that. There were no performance evaluations. The promotion process is horrible, horrible. And it has to change.
“We’re in the process of changing recruitment, hiring, training, promotions and putting in performance standards,” Ballard said, dropping the bomb.
“And over time; 10, 15, 20 years I’m hoping you see that correct itself.”
Thus, under Ballard’s logic, in another generation, long after Indianapolis has become a minority-majority city, its police and fire departments will have only achieved Hudnut’s diversity goals. Disgusting.
Goldsmith, now New York City deputy mayor, reminisced about his work with inner-city neighborhoods saying, “Where it (neighborhood revitalization) works there was a partnership between government and the indigenous leadership of the neighborhood.”
Peterson, now a top Lilly executive, lauded Goldsmith’s neighborhood initiatives saying when he took office, “I found a huge number of empowered neighborhood people who felt like they had some ability to control their own destiny. Believing that they can get powerful people’s attention.”
Ballard echoed Goldsmith and Peterson saying, “We want strong neighborhood leaders. It’s much easier to deal with strong neighborhood leaders.” Yet Ballard refuses to meet such leaders like the NAACP, ministers from the city’s largest churches and denominations and Democratic City-County Council members.
Finally, the past mayors had great advice for those wanting to be the next mayor.
Hudnut: “You’re a convener, a facilitator, a servant leader; put your arms around the city. Have that attitude that everybody has something to say.”
Goldsmith: “A mayor needs to be both aspirational and operational. (Plus) think outside the box.”
Peterson: “A mayor needs to be bold, have guts and be willing to do things that other cities aren’t willing to do.”
Lugar: “Mayors need to be diplomats, dealing with suburban leaders and those within the city. And sophisticated enough to see the future.”
Attributes Mayor Ballard doesn’t exhibit, but must if he even dreams of being favorably compared to his predecessors.
Attributes those challenging him need to adopt and articulate during this long mayoral campaign.
See ‘ya next week.
You can e-mail comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
