As the Indianapolis mayoral race heats up, Democrat Joseph “Joe” Hogsett, 58, appears to be the candidate most city residents view as the frontrunner. The former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, has received criticism from political pundits and rival politicians for his record on prosecuting crime, as well as his decision to vacate the office of U.S. Attorney prior to his scheduled 2016 exit. On the other hand, Hogsett has picked up some key endorsements, including that of former Governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh. He’s the former Secretary of State of Indiana, serving from 1989-2004.
Earlier this week, Hogsett’s office announced the members of the Policy Leadership Team. The group of 13 includes co-chairs; Cordelia Lewis-Burks, Lt. Governor Kathy Davis, Prosecutor Terry Curry, and David Hampton.
In a sit-down with the Recorder editorial staff, Hogsett shared some of the primary focal points of his campaign; crime prevention, poverty and his thoughts on political transparency.
Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper: In November of 2014, you made quite an impression with your speech at the Landmark for Peace Memorial in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Why did you choose that location to announce your run?
Hogsett: I chose that location for a wide variety of different reasons, one being its significance historically. It’s a very special place and in many respects a sacred place. Thematically, that’s what we wanted to convey. On that very difficult night, Indianapolis was the only city of substance in the country that didn’t experience violence and Senator Kennedy’s remarks are attributed to that. Indy, on that night was truly a united city. If elected, that’s the kind of emphasis I would like to bring. It’s important because we have so much to be proud of here in Indianapolis, and yet the reality is that we live in two cities. There is the city all of us enjoy and are proud of, I certainly enjoy the restaurants and the nice spots we all visit and neighborhoods that I have said in the past that are gilded in gold. Yet one needs not go very far from those sites and find a completely different city, that unfortunately is racked by economic disadvantage and crime. It’s usually only when the chaos from one spreads into the serenity of the other that the two cities come together.
Are you familiar with Plan 2020, the initiative focused on development efforts surrounding Indianapolis’ bicentennial?
I am sure over the next nine months I will become very familiar with it but at this point I am generally aware but don’t have much knowledge of its specific recommendations and results.
Some citizens feel segments of the Indianapolis community as a whole, particularly the homeless community following recent legislation, are being left out when it comes to citywide re-development. What are your thoughts?
Some of Indy’s most vulnerable citizens are overlooked and ignored and that is in no small measure why I want to run. We’re all proud of our downtown and we have to acknowledge that as an economic force it drives in large measure the success and economic vibrancy of our city. I would want to prioritize the city’s attention and resources so no matter where you live, you know your city is doing its best to look out for your station in life as well. In so many instances where I’ve talked with people in neighborhoods throughout the community this has not been done – I think that’s immoral. We have to have the courage to have adult conversations about the exponential rise in the level of poverty in our city.
Recently, Mayor Ballard’s office transitioned the Your Life Matters initiative to the Indiana Black Expo (IBE). What do you think this says about the city’s commitment to crime prevention?
I met with IBE President Tanya Bell and we had a conversation about IBE being assigned as the convener of Your Life Matters. She explained to me that while they may ultimately have authority for convening, she was seeking to bring together leadership from a cross-section of the community to implement the recommendations contained in the report. I don’t want to say the city is abdicating its responsibility. I believe when you have the full support of the mayor’s office it’s a bit easier. Ultimately that office is going to be held responsible so why wouldn’t the mayor’s office be imminently involved? There are a number of different priorities but public safety seems to be on everybody’s list as well as mine – as a former federal prosecutor I think I have a unique skill set and unique experience that perhaps no other person who is currently seeking the office has and I would want to bring that to bear on the issues.
The Consolidated Criminal Justice Complex deal has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons since its inception. Let’s discuss that deal.
I think fundamentally, the city deserves and the people of our community will insist on greater transparency. I’m not going to spend a lot of time Monday morning quarterbacking on what I would have done differently, but I will say frankly, the criminal justice center is a great example of where people have a high degree of concern simply because they don’t know anything about it. People feel as if they haven’t been dealt with fairly and honestly. As mayor, I would seek to revise, amend, and change the code of ethics to increase the levels of transparency on all levels of city government. People may disagree with decisions I make which is inevitable – but there is one thing that will never happen and that is people will never be able to say ‘you mislead me’ or ‘we weren’t told.’ They may question the wisdom of my decision but they will never be able to question the integrity behind it.
With new administrations, changes are somewhat inevitable. How do you plan to assess current city leadership if elected?
My approach would be to fairly evaluate each job and make changes accordingly. As U.S. Attorney I inherited an entire office that I made absolutely no changes to. In no small measure, the success we experienced in the attorney’s office was due to the fact that I was surrounded by people who knew what they were doing, and my job was to give them a sense of priority and direction and then get out of the way and let them do their thing. I hope to give opportunities for people to step up and lead the city in new and different ways. If elected I am not going to approach city government as if everybody there is the enemy, I am going to take advantage of their experience and expertise. Also, where appropriate I plan to bring in new leadership that has paid their dues and has a new vision for the city that is in keeping with mine. I think it will be a fair balance.
For more information on Hogsett, visit Facebook.com/hogsettforindy.
