53.4 F
Indianapolis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mayor-elect selects additional personnel

More by this author

Indianapolis Mayor-elect Joe Hogsett put more pieces of his administration into place with the recent announcement of three new appointees to his cabinet.

Citing the city’s “public safety crisis,” Hogsett stressed the need for long-term initiatives to dig up the roots of the problem.

“The broader crime-related challenges we confront were not created overnight; they were created over years, and they stem from larger systemic problems,” he said. “I’m pleased to announce a series of appointments that are aimed at preventing crime in the long run by bringing city government’s focus back to building strong neighborhoods, and by bringing the city’s budget back into line.”

Hogsett made official appointment of Rev. David Hampton, senior pastor of Light of the World Christian Church, in the position of deputy mayor of neighborhood engagement.

Hogsett made a second deputy mayor appointment, tapping Jeff Bennett for the role of deputy mayor of community development.

Bennett, who most recently has been director of real estate services at nonprofit lender IFF, said he will “bring the resources of city government to bear on redeveloping our neighborhoods, on bringing jobs back to the city, on making sure every kid in every neighborhood has access to a high-quality school in their neighborhood.”

Prior to his role at IFF, Bennett served eight years as a Warren Township Trustee and worked as an administrator with former Mayor Bart Peterson’s team. He’s also worked as a program coordinator for Indiana Landmarks.

“What really energized me about this opportunity was, it’s just an extension of what I’ve done for almost 20 years, (which) is work on issues at the core of neighborhoods,” Bennett said.

On Bennett’s appointment, Hogsett added, “Too many parts of Indianapolis feel left behind, abandoned or altogether forgotten by City Hall. I firmly believe we must move forward as one city, and I am confident Jeff has the experience and energy to take the bold steps necessary to reorganize and reorient our city’s government back toward our neighborhoods.”

Lastly, Hogsett appointed former Indiana Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis. Though the newly created position doesn’t have a formal title yet, Hogsett and Davis have settled on “city systems engineer” for now.

Davis will focus specifically on the city’s financial and information systems to look for efficiencies and opportunities for cost savings. Davis cited the passing of the property tax cap, and the impact it’s had on the city’s budget.

“We need a plan to get our expenses and our revenues back in line so we can operate from a position of strength and not be in a constant mode of scrambling to fund our budget,” she said.

Davis told the Recorder she already has an idea of how the process will go.

“I think we already have a pretty good picture of where we are financially and where we need to be, and we’ve collected some ideas about what it’s going to take to make everything fall into line going forward, but we’ll really get serious about putting numbers to strategies.”

Hogsett said Davis has “an almost unparalleled fiscal expertise” from her previous experience, which includes, among other pursuits, serving as the controller for the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana state budget director.

It’s not clear how Davis’ position will be funded; she said they’re exploring ways for someone other than the city to cover the cost, but specific details were not shared. It’s also not clear how long the position will last.

The Recorder spoke exclusively with Hampton in the days before Hogsett’s announcement, when the pastor shared the news of his new endeavor with his congregation.

Some church members were concerned about Hampton’s choice to perform two jobs simultaneously, but Hampton told the Recorder he has been working to address all concerns. At a recent mid-week Bible study, Hampton said he and his congregants had a productive conversation where he reiterated that his new role is an extension of his current ministry, not an exclusion.

“We stayed after an extra hour, and I addressed every question, every concern,” he said. “While they are two very distinct jobs, I do think they’re very similar in their scope, in terms of care and concern for the community.”

Though Hampton stopped short of saying everyone is on board, he emphasized that his congregation is being supportive.

Prior to taking the helm at Light of the World, Hampton — a graduate of Lawrence North High School — worked as an adjunct professor at New York Theological Seminary and as a pastor at a New York church. Hampton studied at Christian Theological Seminary, where he came to know Hogsett, and also has a degree in criminal justice from the University of Indianapolis.

Hogsett said Hampton will do well as a liaison between city government and neighborhoods.

“Over and over I have heard from our neighborhoods that they feel like local government is talking at them, not with them,” Hogsett said. “I know David will ensure that this administration will think before it speaks, it will speak before it acts and that it will always keep in mind that we serve the people of the city of Indianapolis.”

- Advertisement -
ads:

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

Español + Translate »
Skip to content