Take Five: 5 Things You Need to Know About Indiana Government
November 12, 2019
By: Amy M. Levander
1. 2019 Municipal Election Results
Republicans picked up nine mayoral seats on election night last Tuesday, bringing their total to 69 Republican mayors throughout Indiana. Republicans now hold 22 more mayoral seats than Democrats, which is a historic first. Overall, Republicans took over 19 mayoral offices, including traditionally Democratic strongholds such as Kokomo, Muncie, Logansport and Michigan City. Democrats successfully flipped 10 mayoral offices, including Zionsville, Elkhart, Tipton and Portage. Incumbent mayors were successfully re-elected in cities including Indianapolis, Lawrence, Beech Grove, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Bloomington, Terre Haute, Carmel and Westfield. As of January 1, 2020, 2.1 million Hoosiers will live under a Democratic Mayor, 1.4 million will live under a Republican Mayor, and 31,900 will live under an Independent Mayor.
2. Indianapolis Election Results
Democrats in Marion County celebrated their successes in the municipal elections on Tuesday, with incumbent Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett (D) winning re-election with over 70% of the vote against State Senator Jim Merritt (R) and Douglas McNaughton (L). The Indianapolis City-County Council Democrats picked up 6 seats on election night, increasing their caucus majority to 20 Democratic members. Republicans now hold 5 seats on the council, concentrated on the South side of Indianapolis. Even with a larger Democratic majority on the council, Mayor Hogsett said he will continue to look for common ground between both parties.
3. Hamilton County Election Results
Democrats in Hamilton County celebrated a historic first on election night by picking up three city council seats. Miles Nelson (D) was elected to the Carmel City Council while Jocelyn Vare (D) and Samantha DeLong (D) were elected to the Fishers City Council. This is the first time that any council seat in Carmel or Fishers has been held by a Democrat dating back to when both municipalities were towns. Carmel also successfully passed a bipartisan school safety referendum, which increases property taxes by 0.5% to pay for mental health service professionals in schools, training for teachers and additional school resource officers.
4. Organization Day
The Indiana General Assembly will convene for Organization Day for the 2020 legislative session on November 19, 2019 and will not return until January 6, 2020. The 2020 session is a “short” session, and the legislature is required to adjourn by March 14, 2020. Thousands of teachers plan to be at the Statehouse on November 19th as well. More than 60 school districts across the state are cancelling classes to allow teachers to rally at the Statehouse. The “Red for Ed” rally is an effort by teachers to draw more attention to school funding, classroom needs, and less testing tied to teacher performance and pay. Stay tuned for Krieg DeVault’s session preview in December’s Take 5 newsletter.
5. 2019 Women of Influence – Amy Levander
The Indiana Business Journal introduced their 2019 Women of Influence honorees on October 31, 2019. IBJ’s Women of Influence honors women who have risen to the highest levels of business, the arts, and community and public service in central Indiana. Amy Levander, Executive Director of Government Affairs at Krieg DeVault and Executive Director of Hoosier Women Forward, was among the 23 accomplished women selected. When asked what advice she would give young women, Amy said, “…women leaders, in particular, have a responsibility to mentor young female professions, to train the next generation of women leaders and help them hone their skill sets to be effective leaders and good citizens.”
For more information, please contact Amy M. Levander or a member of our Governmental Affairs and Public Advocacy Team.
Practices
November 12, 2019
By: Amy M. Levander
1. 2019 Municipal Election Results
Republicans picked up nine mayoral seats on election night last Tuesday, bringing their total to 69 Republican mayors throughout Indiana. Republicans now hold 22 more mayoral seats than Democrats, which is a historic first. Overall, Republicans took over 19 mayoral offices, including traditionally Democratic strongholds such as Kokomo, Muncie, Logansport and Michigan City. Democrats successfully flipped 10 mayoral offices, including Zionsville, Elkhart, Tipton and Portage. Incumbent mayors were successfully re-elected in cities including Indianapolis, Lawrence, Beech Grove, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Bloomington, Terre Haute, Carmel and Westfield. As of January 1, 2020, 2.1 million Hoosiers will live under a Democratic Mayor, 1.4 million will live under a Republican Mayor, and 31,900 will live under an Independent Mayor.
2. Indianapolis Election Results
Democrats in Marion County celebrated their successes in the municipal elections on Tuesday, with incumbent Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett (D) winning re-election with over 70% of the vote against State Senator Jim Merritt (R) and Douglas McNaughton (L). The Indianapolis City-County Council Democrats picked up 6 seats on election night, increasing their caucus majority to 20 Democratic members. Republicans now hold 5 seats on the council, concentrated on the South side of Indianapolis. Even with a larger Democratic majority on the council, Mayor Hogsett said he will continue to look for common ground between both parties.
3. Hamilton County Election Results
Democrats in Hamilton County celebrated a historic first on election night by picking up three city council seats. Miles Nelson (D) was elected to the Carmel City Council while Jocelyn Vare (D) and Samantha DeLong (D) were elected to the Fishers City Council. This is the first time that any council seat in Carmel or Fishers has been held by a Democrat dating back to when both municipalities were towns. Carmel also successfully passed a bipartisan school safety referendum, which increases property taxes by 0.5% to pay for mental health service professionals in schools, training for teachers and additional school resource officers.
4. Organization Day
The Indiana General Assembly will convene for Organization Day for the 2020 legislative session on November 19, 2019 and will not return until January 6, 2020. The 2020 session is a “short” session, and the legislature is required to adjourn by March 14, 2020. Thousands of teachers plan to be at the Statehouse on November 19th as well. More than 60 school districts across the state are cancelling classes to allow teachers to rally at the Statehouse. The “Red for Ed” rally is an effort by teachers to draw more attention to school funding, classroom needs, and less testing tied to teacher performance and pay. Stay tuned for Krieg DeVault’s session preview in December’s Take 5 newsletter.
5. 2019 Women of Influence – Amy Levander
The Indiana Business Journal introduced their 2019 Women of Influence honorees on October 31, 2019. IBJ’s Women of Influence honors women who have risen to the highest levels of business, the arts, and community and public service in central Indiana. Amy Levander, Executive Director of Government Affairs at Krieg DeVault and Executive Director of Hoosier Women Forward, was among the 23 accomplished women selected. When asked what advice she would give young women, Amy said, “…women leaders, in particular, have a responsibility to mentor young female professions, to train the next generation of women leaders and help them hone their skill sets to be effective leaders and good citizens.”
For more information, please contact Amy M. Levander or a member of our Governmental Affairs and Public Advocacy Team.