With the primary over and the election for mayor and council for Indianapolis/Marion County entering its final six months, some questions remain.
Who is Charles Wesley “Chuck” Brewer?
Eight years ago, mostly to protest then-Mayor Bart Peterson, Indianapolis voters elected the unknown candidate Greg Ballard.
During that campaign, Ballard did interviews and people had some vague idea of where he stood on basically one issue—taxes. Voters also learned he was an Indy native, a Cathedral High grad, Marine, businessman, entrepreneur, even an author.
Unfortunately in my view, we didn’t learn in that campaign some of the flaws Ballard has displayed these past eight years. Particularly what I consider his paranoid attitude toward Black-elected officials, Black media, or anyone who dares to question his policies or programs.
Now here comes Ballard 2.0: Charles Wesley “Chuck” Brewer. He’s a Marine, businessman with three degrees, two from prestigious universities, who’s lived in Indy just four years and owns two restaurants downtown after leaving a career at Sears.
We know even less about Brewer than we knew about Ballard at this point in the 2007 election.
For example, Indy knows nothing about where Brewer was born and raised or his values. We know nothing about his career climbing the corporate ladder at Sears Corporate or his two Marine combat tours in Iraq.
We still don’t know and haven’t heard what motivated a three year Indy downtown homeowner, to move to a southside apartment to run for City-County Council; then suddenly pivot and throw his hat in the ring for mayor.
Brewer is running to lead a city/county that’s nearly 30 percent African-American, but after some 15 weeks of campaigning, he’s turned up in our Black community once. He’s been conspicuously absent from many African-American events between February and today.
The right direction?
On Election Day, Republicans passed out flyers at polling places that said “Keep Indianapolis Moving in the Right Direction.” That GOP slogan is their mantra for the campaign. Republicans want Indy to believe Brewer’s a continuation of eight years of Ballardism. Republicans want Indy to believe Ballard’s the greatest mayor since Hudnut or Goldsmith. To push that point they’ll brag about the growth of bike lanes and other examples of “sustainability.”
The absurd cricket field, burgeoning downtown development, even the now failed Justice Center—all these are evidence, in the Republican view, that Indianapolis is moving in the “right” direction.
It’s long been the Ballard Administration position that Indy’s growing minority populations aren’t generating enough tax revenue. So Indy’s got to recruit more upper income folks (read non-minority) into the city/county.
No one yet knows what views Brewer holds on that Ballard mantra. Nor do we know how he feels about job creation for city/county residents. We don’t even know Brewer’s views on crime, re-entry efforts to help ex-offenders or his views on the Mayor’s Your Life Matters/My Brother’s Keeper Action Plan efforts.
African-American media inclusion in 2015 election?
Speaking of that effort, the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, has now named Ballard to its advisory council.
I find it hypocritical that a panel of elected officials and experts working to help eradicate prejudices holding Black men and boys back would include an individual with an openly disdainful attitude toward African-American leaders and institutions in his own city.
It’s beyond sinful that Ballard still refuses to grant an interview with Indianapolis Recorder journalists. (Not me, but the talented folks in its newsroom).
And the mayor’s refusal, the past four years, to appear on Black radio in prime time programs colors Ballard’s legacy with the stain of open disdain and disrespect for the city’s Black media institutions.
Our community is watching whether Brewer will follow Ballard’s footsteps ignoring the media of a community of nearly 300,000, or show a new spirit of openness and transparency.
Four years ago, our “Afternoons with Amos” program hosted the only radio debate between Ballard, Melina Kennedy and Libertarian Chris Bowen.
But, four and eight years ago, Indianapolis Recorder journalists were excluded from mayoral debates.
What i’m hearing in the streets
Since he became IPS Supt. Dr. Lewis Ferebee has been the face and voice of IPS. But in the wake of the firestorm of media coverage and community anger over a cellphone video showing a vicious fight at Northwest High School, Ferebee was strangely unheard and unseen.
It’s important the school superintendent is heard and seen during good news. It’s also important to be heard and seen during the bad news and crisis moments.
In that context, Supt. Ferebee blew it!
See ‘ya next week!
You can email Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
