Indianapolis, IN
Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett weighs a fourth term, amid scandals and project delays
Hogsett promised this would be his “final term.” But in weighing another run, he may be looking to overcome scandals and project delays, experts say.
Tony Cook and Peter Blanchard on their reporting of Mayor Joe Hogsett
Indy Star reporter Tony Cook and Mirror Indy reporter Peter Blanchard talk to Mirror Indy’s Ibby Ahmed about reporting on Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
As Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett openly considers a fourth term, political experts say that Hogsett’s musing shows he may want to exit office on stronger footing after a third term dogged by scandals and development delays.
With three Democrats already running for Indianapolis mayor in 2027, Hogsett, 69, refused to rule out a reelection bid when reporters asked him about his plans on April 29.
“Any mayor who has put enough time into the development of our downtown would like to see it completed. So it’s one thing to shovel in a new development. It’s another thing to open the doors and welcome people in and see them enjoy it,” Hogsett told reporters with WISH-TV and WRTV.
“So that tugs at my heartstrings,” he added. “But ultimately, I’ll make a decision that’s based on whatever legacy I’d like to leave our city and how far along we are in promoting that legacy.”
Hogsett did not agree to IndyStar’s request for an interview April 30, made through campaign spokesperson Emily Gurwitz. In a statement, Gurwitz said the mayor remains focused on finishing out his third term by delivering investments in roads and public safety, as well as stewarding the Indianapolis Public Education Corp., the state-mandated entity tasked with reshaping public education in Indianapolis.
“Mayor Hogsett made it clear in his comments yesterday: with the 2027 election still more than a year and a half away, he is focused on the work immediately before him to continue shaping a safer and more vibrant Indianapolis,” Gurwitz said. “This includes developing the 2027 City-County budget, moving forward the critical work of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, delivering on important infrastructure investments with triple the funding in the strip-patching budget in 2026, and continuing to drive meaningful public safety improvements for neighborhoods across the city.”
When he announced his reelection bid in 2022, Hogsett said multiple times that he was seeking his “third and final term.” But the mayor’s recent comments and campaign finance reports have sparked curiosity about his intentions now. Hogsett raised more than half a million dollars in 2025 and ended the year with $1.2 million on hand.
Hogsett, who would be 76 at the end of a fourth term, told reporters that he will announce his decision toward the end of this year, ahead of the May 2027 city primary election.
If he enters, he’ll compete with fellow Democrats Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili, Indiana Sen. Andrea Hunley and Department of Public Works official David Bride.
Each mayoral candidate told IndyStar April 30 that the mayor’s remarks don’t affect their plans.
“I’m running for mayor. I’m talking with residents, visiting every corner of our city, and focused on affordability, housing, roads, and public safety,” Osili said in a written statement April 30. “Everyone has the right to decide their own political future, but the real question isn’t about one candidate, it’s about the future of our city.”
Will Hogsett move beyond ‘third and final term’ he promised?
The 2022 speech where Hogsett announced his bid for a third term — which came after he’d previously called for mayors to be limited to two four-year terms during his 2015 campaign — may shed light on some of the unfinished business he has in mind.
Addressing a crowd gathered inside City Market in November 2022, he mentioned several major redevelopment projects that he hoped to see finished in a third term, after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the “train of progress” to a “screeching halt.”
“Over the next three years, a historic public-private partnership will revitalize the historic City Market while transforming an entire city block,” Hogsett said.
“New development next to old City Hall? It’s on its way,” he later added. “Downtown heliport redevelopment? Won’t be far behind. The old downtown jail? It’s coming down and we’re going up.”
Of that partial list, the only projects that may wrap up by the end of Hogsett’s third term are downtown’s two jail redevelopments. Jail I was demolished and the Indiana Fever are building a $78 million practice facility, set to open in 2027. Although construction started years late on the Jail II redevelopment, it’s expected to bring more than 200 residential units to downtown’s east side by 2027.
The delayed or failed redevelopment plans, meanwhile, have stacked up.
Earlier this month, the city backed out of plans to build a museum hotel, housing and office space at old City Hall. The renovated City Market won’t open until at least 2028, after the city cut ties with the initial developers.
While the downtown heliport — eyed as a potential site for a Major League Soccer stadium — has closed, Indiana Senate leader Rodric Bray recently dashed hopes for an arena on the site in the near future, saying it “doesn’t look like there’s much chance there.”
“We are confident that Major League Soccer puts Indianapolis at the top of its list of places it would like to see a club,” Hogsett Communications and Policy Director Aliya Wishner said in February in response to Bray’s remarks. “We realize there is still challenging work before us to provide the framework for how state and local support will accomplish this goal.”
Scandals, delays could sway Hogsett to seek reelection
Experts say Hogsett may want to secure more wins to overshadow scandals tied to his handling of sexual harassment allegations within his administration and his oversight of city development deals involving conflicts of interest.
An IndyStar/Mirror Indy investigation dubbed “Mr. Clean” found that Hogsett allowed his former chief of staff Thomas Cook, whose sexual misconduct allegations the two outlets investigated in 2024, to cash in on millions in city incentives overseen by a city official with whom he had a romantic relationship. The stories also showed that the Hogsett administration routinely awards no-bid contracts to former staffers and top campaign donors.
Hogsett has said he’s confident that multiple layers of legal, administrative and legislative oversight ensured that tax incentives and no-bid contracts were in the best interest of the city and taxpayers. Cook, who has not been charged with any crime, has apologized for “consensual relationships that violated a trust placed in me” but denied that he used his professional role to further those relationships.
Still, experts say, the incidents may mar Hogsett’s record.
“He has not been able to cement his legacy in the way that I think he hoped,” Gregory Shufeldt, an associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, told IndyStar in an April 30 interview. “The sexual assaults and corresponding cover-ups, the Mr. Clean series of articles and kind of broader insights into corruption, I think have really weakened his political capital. The types of things that he has tried to make the capstone or kind of lasting contributions — for example, the MLS team — have not really seen significant progress.”
By keeping the door open to a fourth term, Hogsett can maintain influence over the debate about who will replace him, Shufeldt said. If a candidate wants the mayor’s endorsement or access to his campaign finance largesse, Hogsett can persuade them to focus on issues that further his legacy.
Paul Helmke, who served as mayor of Fort Wayne from 1988 to 2000, told IndyStar he thinks Hogsett has to weigh whether he may want to hold onto power for the right reasons. Helmke, now 77, said his decision not to seek reelection to a fourth term in 1999 was tough, even though he felt he’d accomplished his major goals.
About 50 years old at the time, Helmke chose to devote his next few decades to pursuing other work. He led an organization working to end gun violence and in 2013 became a faculty member at Indiana University, where he founded a civic leadership center and teaches courses on law and public affairs.
“If Hogsett has things he wants to accomplish that he’s making progress on, that he’s not sure will go well if he’s not there, that’s a reason to run again,” Helmke said. “But if you’re just doing it because you don’t know what else to do, or you get to the stage where you’re not sure you’ll have the energy or enthusiasm, then you probably shouldn’t do it.”
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
Indianapolis, IN
Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Alexy Highlight Strong Lineup For Indianapolis (Psych Sheets)
2026 Indianapolis Pro Series
The Indianapolis Pro Series stop next weekend will serve as the final stop of the Pro Series before the 2026 Pan Pac Championships that will take place in Irvine in August. Pre-scratch psych sheets revealed a star-studded lineup including Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Ryan Murphy, and Jack Alexy.
The meet will serve as the first competition since both Ledecky and Walsh competed at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open at the end of April and into May. Ledecky won the 800 and 1500 freestyles in Fort Lauderdale. Walsh swam to another World Record, lowering her own record in the long course 100 fly as she touched in a 54.33.
Ledecky trains at the University of Florida and much of her training group will be in attendance as Bobby Finke, Emma Weyant, and Kieran Smith. Walsh trains at Virginia, and much of the Virginia group will be in attendance as Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Isabelle Stadden, Anna Moesch, and Claire Curzan highlight the psych sheets as well. Cal training partners Jack Alexy and Ryan Murphy highlight the group from Cal that also includes names such as Lucas Henveaux, Gabe Jett, and Ryan Erisman.
Notably not on the psych sheets is the large training group out of Texas under Bob Bowman that includes names such as Regan Smith, Shaine Casas, Chris Guiliano, Luke Hobson, and Carson Foster. Erin Gemmell will be in attendance for Longhorn Aquatics.
Katie Ledecky‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #1 seed
- 400 free: #1 seed
- 800 free: #1 seed
- 1500 free: #1 seed
Gretchen Walsh‘s Lineup:
- 100 fly: #1 seed
- 50 back: #7 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
Ryan Murphy‘s Lineup:
- 100 back: #1 seed
- 50 back: #42 seed (seeded with a 100 back time)
Jack Alexy‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #14 seed
- 50 back: #16 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
- 100 free: #1 seed
U.S. Pan Pac Roster Set To Compete In Indianapolis:
Almost all of the US women’s roster for Pan Pacs will be in Indianapolis as 21 out of 26 women on the roster are on the pre-scratch psych sheets. The men’s side includes 16/26 members of the Pan Pac roster, with most of the “no’s” coming from the Texas men.
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was fatally shot on the north side of Indianapolis Wednesday morning, according to police.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says officers were dispatched to investigate a shots fired incident in the 6700 block of Woodmere Circle in the Delaware Trails area, west of Hoover Road, around 5:41 a.m.
They arrived and located a person suffering a gunshot wound.
IMPD originally reported their condition as “awake and breathing,” though the person died sometime after arriving at a hospital.
According to Public Information Officer Drew Brown, the person who called police was the shooter in the incident.
He told police that two masked individuals approached him before shots were fired. The shooter is cooperating with law enforcement, police said.
Another person was detained on scene; IMPD did not identify or state their role in the incident.
This is a developing story.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Officers with an FBI violent crimes task force on Tuesday arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a May 28 shooting that injured a boy and a man, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a media notification.
The name of the arrested man and his jail booking photo were not released due to an ongoing investigation, IMPD said.
The names and ages of the two people who were shot have not been publicly shared.
As News 8 previously reported, IMPD officers responded about 5:20 p.m. May 28 to a report of a person shot in the 3100 block of Baltimore Terrace in Indianapolis. That’s at The Martindale apartments off East 30th Street, northeast of downtown Indianapolis, and just northwest of the intersection of East 30th Street and North Keystone Avenue.
The boy and man shot were taken to hospitals by Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services in stable but serious condition.
An IMPD report said a handgun was used in the aggravated assault.
IMPD said the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision in the case.
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