Most residents will probably be seeing more of Maggie Lewis in the near future. This week she was elected by her peers as president of the Indianapolis City-County Council.
She is the first female to serve as council president in the city’s 191-year history, and the fourth African-American (Rozelle Boyd, Steve Talley and Monroe Gray served brief tenures as president between 2004 and 2007).
Lewis, a Democrat, is respected on both sides of the aisle for her leadership qualities, ability to develop solutions and a disarming personality that combines warmth with professionalism. She was first elected to the council in 2008, and represents District 7 on the city’s Westside.
Currently, Lewis works as executive director of the Dove Recovery House, which helps women who have struggled with drug addiction recovery gain a fresh start.
A native of Columbus, Ind., she graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s in health education and a master’s in public administration.
Here are some thoughts from Lewis:
Goals as president: “We will look at how to get all the stakeholders in the community together to have a real conversation about growing our small businesses, improving education and reducing crime. Those are the key issues we heard many constituents discuss during the campaign. We will also address the issue of a smoking ban very soon.
In addition, we promised our constituents that we will make sure that all issues and proposals are vetted in the community. You will see more committee hearings being held in places throughout the city such as community centers and churches to give people more opportunity to give their feedback and suggestions.”
Role models: “(State Reps.) Bill Crawford and John Bartlett are a class act, and seeing them work and serve in the community is inspiring to me. Watching (State Rep.) Cherrish Pryor is also amazing, and seeing her maneuver the political system as a young leader and get around the Statehouse with such ease has also been inspiring.
“Mary Clark (president of the Lafayette Square Area Coalition) is another great leader. When you hear her speak of our area, you just get excited about the possibilities.”
Favorite pastimes: “Everything that I do involves giving back. I enjoy serving with neighborhood organizations, and have a passion for serving homeless individuals and those with a history of substance abuse. Time with my family (husband Leroy Lewis III, son Leroy IV and extended family) is always special. I’m active at my church (Mt. Paran Baptist Church), and enjoy working out and dancing. It can be any type of dancing, whether it’s dancing to gospel or other music, I just enjoy the movement and being physically active.”
Recent council presidents
Beurt R. SerVaas (1975-2002) – Republican
Phil Borst (2002-03) – Republican
Rozelle Boyd (2004-05) – Democrat
Steve Talley (2005-06) – Democrat
Monroe Gray (2006-07) – Democrat
Bob Cockrum (2008-10) – Republican
Ryan Vaughn (2010-11) – Republican
Maggie Lewis (2011- ) – Democrat
