Indianapolis Mayor-elect Joe Hogsett (D) and outgoing Mayor Greg Ballard (R) are pledging a smooth transition from a Republican administration to a Democratic one.
Hogsett says there's a 40-year Indianapolis tradition of new mayors not trying to roll back their predecessors' initiatives, and says Ballard's programs will set a foundation for his own. That extends to the BlueIndy electric car program, which has drawn sharp criticism from the Democratic City-County Council. Hogsett says he believes those complaints are less about the merits of the program than about how the contracts were awarded.
Hogsett says he hasn’t made any personnel decisions, but says he'll give them some thought while on a post-campaign vacation, then dive into the task on his return.
“I bring with me a familiarity with many of the primary actors in the public safety arena,” Hogsett says. “So, I hope that’s beneficial in my assessment, but I also want to include other people, [like] public safety professionals.”
Hogsett also plans meetings with legislative leaders, but isn't laying out a legislative agenda just yet. He did pledge during the campaign to seek state help to expand preschool in Marion County.
Ballard says he's directed the information transfer.
“I’ve asked all of my department directors, acting directors, to begin preparing information for both teams so we can respond quickly to any requests for information,” Ballard says. “But, things like budget information and staffing tables, project updates – we will make sure that all that occurs.”
