Out of the total number of potholes that have been tended to, 50%-55% took longer than a week to fix. When citizens notify their local government of issues with the streets they pay for, they should never have to wait this long to have it resolved. A pothole problem is a connectivity problem. Our city’s roads are used every day to connect people to their jobs, favorite recreation areas, and even their families. A city that has a pothole problem puts an unnecessary economic burden on its residents. Hitting a pothole can mean expensive repairs to one’s vehicle and while it is in the shop, their means of getting to work is completely disrupted. If an Indianapolis resident notifies their city of a pothole, they deserve an answer and the problem should be resolved quickly. A poorly maintained road is evidence that a city’s government is not working effectively or efficiently.

SOLUTION: As mayor, I will reduce the time it takes to fix a pothole and ensure that the city’s avenues of connectivity are maintained. There is no Republican or Democrat way to fill a pothole, but there is a smart way to do it. As a member of the City-County Council, I served on the Public Works Committee during both the Ballard administration and the Hogsett administration. During this time, I familiarized myself with the way Indianapolis deals with potholes. Under the Ballard administration it routinely took 2-3 days to fix potholes in this city. The Ballard administration used a Six Sigma approach to develop the most cost efficient and effective process to fill the holes in our roads. I will implement this strategy to reduce the time it takes to fill a pothole and ensure our roads are built to last.

A common practice for our city is to build new roads without coordinating with the utilities who own and maintain the lines that run beneath our roads. A new road, paid for by the taxpayers, may be built and anticipated to last 10 years. However, once that road is finished the utilities, still possessing property rights beneath the road, can tear up the road to make changes to their utility lines underneath. Once completed, the utilities attempt to repair the road. However, that road will never be the same. Now possessing new cracks, that road’s ability to last is greatly diminished, solely because there was no coordination between the mayor’s office and the utilities. This process is a drain on the city’s resources and fails to maximize updates to our city infrastructure.

SOLUTION: As mayor, I will coordinate with our utilities and offer them a chance to make updates to their lines before building new roads. If you needed updates to the plumbing in your home behind the drywall, you wouldn’t decide the week before the plumber comes to repaint the drywall, only for the plumber to drill a hole to access the pipes. Why would our city act this way? By coordinating strategically with our utility companies we can save the taxpayers money by increasing the longevity of our infrastructure, reduce the frequency of road closures due to construction, and save ratepayers money by conserving resources for both the city and the utilities. This solution may sound simple, but Joe Hogsett has had 8 years to think of innovative solutions like these and failed to do so.

The Broad Ripple Avenue improvements began last year and have seen extended delays. The project is constantly behind schedule and businesses continue to feel each and every delay personally, as customers struggle to access their storefronts. The city continuously shifts the blame and claims that these delays are caused by the Utilities. Our mayor has no construction background and his inability to manage this process is damaging to our community.

SOLUTION: As mayor, I will use my expertise in managing my own capital and infrastructure projects to make sure city projects are completed on time. I will not wait until the project is underway to coordinate with Utilities. I will oversee the projects myself and will not tolerate extended delays or postponements. Joe Hogsett does not know what it means to manage and oversee a construction project like this and it is hurting our local businesses and residents. We can not be the city we want to be proud of when repairing our infrastructure means costly and seemingly never ending delays.

As mayor, I will continue to support the idea of “complete streets”, just as I did when I served on the public works committee when I served on the City-County Council. My vision for Indianapolis includes a vision where our city is more connected than ever. Indianapolis is tremendously diverse and this diversity should be celebrated and appreciated. By ensuring Indianapolis is sufficiently connected between varying neighborhoods, we create a city where everyone, from all backgrounds, can contribute to a high quality of life in Indianapolis. Complete streets are streets that are safe for all users including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Connecting multiple modes of transportation is something that talented people expect. Attracting talent means attracting business and through a complete streets model we can ensure all people have the ability to contribute to our city’s healthy economy.