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Indianapolis mayor candidates face off in 1st debate

Crime among topics of Indianapolis mayor debate

Dan Klein | News 8 at 10 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — With 68 days to go before Election Day, Indianapolis’s candidates for mayor squared off Thursday night in their first debate.

Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Democrat, and Republican state Sen. Jim Merritt relayed major policy differences on a number of topics including recycling, the minimum wage and preschool options. Also, public safety is one of the top issues with clear separation between the two.

The Indy Chamber organized the debate. A reporter with the Indianapolis Business Journal was the moderator. Election Day is Nov. 5.

Public safety

Hogsett said the violent crime rate and the murder rate were down last year for the first time in a number of years. He said his earlier work and investment in community organizations is starting to pay off.

“We’re making progress. It is a challenging issue. No one ever said it could be done overnight, certainly not me as a (former) federal prosecutor,” Hogsett said. “The point is, progress is being made, and it’s because of the investments that we have made over the last four years that I think change is coming.”

Merritt said, though, people don’t feel safe. He said what’s going on is not working and blamed “leadership” of both the mayor and chief.

“Mayor Joe, it hasn’t worked. It hasn’t worked,” Merritt said. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is about relationships. This is about training. This is about having police officers in the place that is hot and I’m not seeing it.”

The Republican said he would create a public safety director who would report to him as a deputy mayor.

That’s a position the Democrat mayor eliminated. Hogsett said the job was just bureaucracy and called his police chief the expert.

Hogsett also said his stated goal of 150 more police officers will happen by the end of the year.

Merritt said that’s disingenuous because Hogsett is including recruits.

When Merritt was pressed by News 8 and others Thursday night about how he would pay for longer and better training for police officers, better recruitment and better equipment, he did not have a clear answer to this and several other proposals.

There are significant differences in other policy areas, too.

Business incentives

Hogsett has a new requirement that any company seeking tax incentives must provide jobs that pay at least $18 an hour. He said the jobs added in 2019 have averaged a starting salary of $31 an hour.

“The prosperity of our city has really been unprecedented in our city’s history. But, here’s also the truth. That prosperity has not been shared across all neighborhoods,” Hogsett said.

Merritt said Indianapolis has to stay competitive not just with communities next-door, but also around the country, and that minimum-wage rule may take Indianapolis out of the running.

“It gives me pause. I really believe that putting $18 really lessens our ability to compete with Carmel or Greenwood or Denver or Seattle.”

Recycling

Merritt said he believes in recycling. He said he will start working immediately to renegotiate contracts to make single-stream recycling a reality. Single-stream would combine trash and recycling into one bin, though critics say single-stream isn’t the best method.

“When I take over on Jan. 1 as mayor of Indianapolis, we will start a new contract with single-streaming. It’s embarrassing,” Merritt said.

Hogsett suspended a recycling deal put in place by former Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican. Hogsett said his goal is to make recycling a reality in 2025 when the current hauling contracts expire, even though it is a date that is beyond a potential second term.

“That is still a ways away, but I think it is still prudent that goal be set to have universal curbside recycling by 2025,” the mayor said.

Preschool

In the area of preschool for 3-year-olds, Hogsett said he cut the city’s five-year pilot program because it’s the state’s responsibility to fund long term.

“I couldn’t be more clear that the city of Indianapolis committed for five years. It’s just unsustainable over the long run over the future,” Hogsett said.

Indiana began funding prekindergarten for 4-year-olds thanks in part to the success of the Indianapolis pilot program. Merritt said, because education is linked to issues including poverty and hunger, he would bring the program back for 3-year-olds.

“We will go forward with pre-K; I believe in pre-K. We will go forward with that valuable piece of our society,” Merritt said.

Other items

Merritt said he will make announcements in coming days or will study many of the issues presented at the debate.

Both men said they do not support a commuter tax but say the city needs to partner with surrounding communities to gain additional revenue for roads. Hogsett has specifically pointing to “capturing” a portion of income tax in neighboring counties without increasing taxes.

Other topics discussed Thursday included the Circle Centre Mall, the Indiana Pacers and fighting poverty.