Working Together For Our Neighborhoods

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The opinions expressed in these articles and features are those of their author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of McANA or the opinion of its Directors or Officers.

"Working Together For Our Neighborhoods"
by Mayor Bart Peterson
[this is an invited editorial]

Drive through Indianapolis on any given day, and you will experience a vibrant city, rich in heritage, diversity and community. I’m often asked what distinguishes Indianapolis from other cities, and my response is always the same: we have a thriving downtown, a globally competitive economy and an unparalleled quality of life. That unparalleled quality of life comes in large part from our neighborhoods.

I have had the privilege and the pleasure to meet thousands of people who live in neighborhoods across our city in the last four years, and I’ve learned something from nearly everyone. I’ve learned they care about their neighborhoods. They want their trash picked up on a regular schedule, their potholes filled and their snow plowed. They want abandoned houses and vehicles banished from their streets.

I’ve learned that we have a common goal: an even better city.

It’s important to me that city government, working with the private sector and neighborhood leaders, does everything it can to reach this goal. That’s why we shut down and helped demolish Citizen’s Lodge across from the State Fairgrounds, acted against the Dollar Inn on the southside, shuttered two Lynn’s Lingerie shops, and directed our departments to conduct background checks on those wishing to buy troubled motels. It’s why we cracked down on irresponsible landlords, coordinated our departments so more abandoned vehicles could be moved off our streets for good, and declared a war on abandoned houses. And it’s why we beefed up our code enforcement efforts with more inspectors, better technology, and a faster Mayor’s Action Center.

Our work to improve neighborhoods has gone well beyond code enforcement, however. It has encompassed initiatives such as ridding the streams that run through our neighborhoods of raw sewage overflows, creating more activities for families and children in our parks, establishing cultural districts, encouraging neighborhood economic development through FOCUS, helping improve public schools, creating charter schools, and redeveloping Fall Creek Place. It had involved finding ways, large and small, to make Indianapolis a better place for the people who live here, in a fiscally responsible manner.

I’m proud of what city government has accomplished in the last four years with the help of a supportive and dedicated community. Yet, there is still more for us to do. As we look forward to the next year, and beyond, we must challenge ourselves to make the impossible become possible. I look forward to this challenge, and will continue to share my ideas for a better city with you. Thank you for your ongoing work to make Indianapolis a city that is truly world-class.