6 Takeaways from town hall for Indianapolis mayoral candidates, Republican edition

The four Republican candidates for Indianapolis mayor — businessman and former City-County Councilor Jefferson Shreve, attorney and political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, pastor James Jackson and John Couch — met on Thursday night for a town hall organized by IndyStar.

Candidates discussed issues from how they'd tackle crime to big risks they'd take as mayor.

More: 6 takeaways from town hall for Indianapolis mayor candidates, Democratic edition

The Democratic candidates faced off Tuesday. The primary is May 2. The general election is Nov. 7.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the discussion.

Candidates asked to defend their record, past work

Shreve is the only Republican candidate who's previously served in elected office, having been on the City-County Council from 2013-2016 and again from 2018-2019.

He responded to a question about what he accomplished during his two council terms by saying that he was frustrated with his lack of power in being one of 25 city-county councilors. That's what led him to run for mayor, he said.

"The juice is not in the council seats but it's in the mayor's office," he said.

As a political commentator, Shabazz has a history of making inflammatory comments that his political opponents have brought up. He was asked how he would unite the city as mayor, having been such a controversial figure.

"Do I stand by mostly everything I’ve written in the past 20, 30 years? Yeah. I wrote it. I wrote it in a way that my mother and grandmother would see it," he said. "As mayor of Indianapolis, I’ll be mayor for everybody, a mayor for the black, white, gay, straight, pink, purple, polka dots."

What big risk would candidates take?

An audience member said Indianapolis is a city built on risks, from its initial development on a non-navigable waterway to building a massive football stadium in a city without an NFL team. The candidates were asked what risks each would take as mayor.

Jackson said he would build a beach on the White River, an idea proposed in 2015 by Visit Indy in its tourism master plan.

Shabazz said he would make Indianapolis the capital of the Midwest.

Shreve said the mayor shouldn't be taking big risks, but responsibly manage taxpayers' money. Indianapolis lacks a vision under Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration, he said. Shreve said he would seek ideas from the civic, business, and philanthropic community.

Couch said he would support hotels, casinos and restaurants. He also said he'd like to see a Major League Baseball and National Hockey League team.

Candidates on public safety

Candidates were asked to propose one policy to address public safety that the city is not currently doing.

Jackson said he wanted to end the early release of repeat violent offenders, citing the case of Orlando Mitchell, who was charged by prosecutors with murder in 2022 as an example of the problem.

Shabazz said he would reinstate the role of public safety director, a position eliminated by Hogsett early in his first term. At the time, Hogsett said it eliminated an unneeded layer of bureaucracy and made mayor the de facto head of public safety.

"Imagine going to war and having an Army, a Navy, an Air Force, and Marine, and no Secretary of Defense," Shabazz said. "You got the President basically running the entire show. The president can't do all that."

The proposal has been suggested by several of Hogsett's challengers, including Jackson and Democratic candidate Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis.

When asked by an audience member who said his son was killed by police how he would address police killings, such as that of Herman Whitfield III, Shabazz said he would do a review of IMPD. Whitfield III was killed by police in the middle of a mental health crisis on April 25, 2022, unarmed. His family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the city and several police officers that is pending.

Shreve said that Indianapolis doesn't have enough police officers on the street and that the Hogsett administration has missed his goals of hiring more officers year after year. Shreve said he would prioritize hiring.

Couch said he would install a GPS system with cameras to track suspects. He also defended gun rights and said he would invite the National Rifle Association back for another convention. The NRA is coming to Indianapolis in April, its third visit her recently.

"The guns aren't the problem," he said.

How would candidates address development in neglected neighborhoods?

Candidates were asked how to improve development of basic infrastructure like sidewalks in often neglected neighborhoods.

Shabazz suggested creating tax increment financing districts for road money, diverting future increases in tax revenue to fund roads. He acknowledged such a policy would likely require a change to state laws and said he would use his decades of relationships with state lawmakers from being a political commentator to get it done.

During his time on the City-County Council, Shreve said that he experienced the inefficiency of getting projects done, including sidewalks.

"I know from firsthand frustration and trying to get my own projects in my district prioritized, that that can be painfully slow."

Being a businessman, Shreve was also asked how he would ensure benefits of development are seen by those traditionally left out from reaping rewards of big business growth.

He responded that he sees the job of mayor as to build the best sandbox for everyone to be successful in the city, and to attract investment.

Candidates talk party political dynamics

Shreve said it's essential that the mayor and Indiana General Assembly work together more effectively. As a Republican mayor, he said, he'd be able to do that.

Most critically, he said, Indianapolis needs the state legislature's cooperation on changing the infrastructure funding formula. Indiana doesn't award road money based on traffic volume but rather uses population and road mileage to distribute dollars, meaning Marion County gets disproportionately less money than rural counties.

Couch told Republican voters to get out and vote.

"You have four candidates to chose from so we can flip the city from Democrat to Republican," he said.

Contact IndyStar reporter Ko Lyn Cheang at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis mayor: Republican candidates face off in town hall