Indianapolis City-County Council
Encyclopedia
The Indianapolis City–County Council is the city legislature
of Indianapolis
, Indiana
and Marion County
, known as Unigov
. It was formally established in 1970 upon the merger of the city government with the county government. Both the Council and Mayor's office are located within the Indianapolis City–County Building. The council passes ordinances for the city and county, and also makes appointments to certain boards and commissions.
The Council consists of 29 seats, corresponding to 25 districts apportioned by population throughout Marion County and four At-large
seats. Although all cities in Marion County, apart from Indianapolis, retained their status after the merger, their residents are represented on the Council and vote alongside other county residents. Every seat is up for reelection every 4 years. The head of council is the Council President who is elected by the majority party at the Council's first meeting in January. Following the 2011 elections
, Democrats regained control of the council with a 16–13 majority. Republicans previously held a 16–13–1 majority. Republicans have generally been stronger in the southern and western parts (Decatur, Franklin
, Perry, and Wayne
townships) of the county while Democrats have been stronger in the central and northern parts (Center
, Pike
, and Washington
townships). Republican and Democratic strength is split in Warren
and Lawrence
townships.
The Clerk of the Council is Melissa Thompson.
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Marion County
Marion County, Indiana
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 903,393, making it the largest county in the state and 55th most populated county in the country, greater than the population of six states. The county seat is Indianapolis, the state capital and...
, known as Unigov
Unigov
Unigov is the name adopted by the city of Indianapolis to describe its consolidated city–county government. By an act of the Indiana state legislature, Indianapolis consolidated with the government of Marion County in 1970. Within Unigov are eleven "included towns", which maintain some of their own...
. It was formally established in 1970 upon the merger of the city government with the county government. Both the Council and Mayor's office are located within the Indianapolis City–County Building. The council passes ordinances for the city and county, and also makes appointments to certain boards and commissions.
Composition of the Council
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
seats. Although all cities in Marion County, apart from Indianapolis, retained their status after the merger, their residents are represented on the Council and vote alongside other county residents. Every seat is up for reelection every 4 years. The head of council is the Council President who is elected by the majority party at the Council's first meeting in January. Following the 2011 elections
Indianapolis City-County Council elections, 2011
The 2011 Indianapolis City–County Council elections took place on November 8, 2011. All 29 seats were up for re-election, 25 districts and 4 at-large seats, on the Indianapolis City–County Council. Prior to the elections Republicans held a 15–13–1 seat majority. Following the elections Democrats...
, Democrats regained control of the council with a 16–13 majority. Republicans previously held a 16–13–1 majority. Republicans have generally been stronger in the southern and western parts (Decatur, Franklin
Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana
Franklin Township is one of the nine townships of Marion County, Indiana, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it has been subsumed into the city of Indianapolis along with most of the rest of the county...
, Perry, and Wayne
Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana
Wayne Township is one of nine townships in Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 133,461. In 2008, the township population was 134,542.-External links:* *...
townships) of the county while Democrats have been stronger in the central and northern parts (Center
Center Township, Marion County, Indiana
Center Township is one of nine townships in Marion County, Indiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 167,055, making it the most populated township in Marion County...
, Pike
Pike Township, Marion County, Indiana
Pike Township is one of the nine townships of Marion County, Indiana, United States, North America, located in the northwestern portion of the county. The entire township is administratively part of Indianapolis, although a portion of the included town of Clermont lies in the southwest corner...
, and Washington
Washington Township, Marion County, Indiana
Washington Township is one of the nine townships of Marion County, Indiana, located in the northern part of the county. The township is entirely within the city of Indianapolis. The 2005 population estimate was 132,927...
townships). Republican and Democratic strength is split in Warren
Warren Township, Marion County, Indiana
Warren Township is one of nine townships in Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 93,941.-External links:* *...
and Lawrence
Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana
Lawrence Township is one of nine townships in Marion County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 111,961. In 2008, the population was 117,431.-External links:* *...
townships.
| Affiliation | Members |
|
| Republican Party | 15 | |
| Democratic Party | 13 | |
| Libertarian Party | 1 | |
| Total |
29 | |
| Republican Indiana Republican Party The Indiana Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the state of Indiana. The chairman of the Indiana Republican State Committee is Eric Holcomb, a former aide of Indiana's sitting Governor Mitch Daniels.-Platform:... Majority |
2 | |
Council leadership
| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| President President A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership... |
Ryan Vaughn | Republican | 3 |
| Vice-President Vice president A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president... |
Marilyn Pfisterer | Republican | 14 |
| Majority Leader Majority leader In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the... |
Michael McQuillen | Republican | 12 |
| Majority Whip Whip (politics) A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy... |
N. Susie Day | Republican | 20 |
| Minority Leader Minority leader In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position... |
Joanne Sanders | Democratic | AL |
| Minority Whip Whip (politics) A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy... |
William Oliver | Democratic | 10 |
| Minority Leader Minority leader In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position... |
Ed Coleman Ed Coleman (politician) Ed Coleman is an American politician from Indianapolis, Indiana. He was first elected as an Indianapolis City-County Council member at-large on November 6, 2007, finishing 4th overall in at-large voting... |
Libertarian | AL |
Members of the Council
| District | Council Member | First Took Office | Political Party | Primary Committee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Evans | 01 Jan 2008 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Economic Development |
| 2 | Angela Mansfield Angela Mansfield Angela Mansfield is an American politician from Indianapolis, Indiana. She was re-elected as a Indianapolis City-County Council member from the 2nd District on November 6, 2007, winning over 52% of the vote... |
01 Jan 2004 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Public Works |
| 3 | Ryan Vaughn | 05 Dec 2006 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Committee on Committees (Chair) |
| 4 | Christine Scales | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Community Affairs |
| 5 | Virginia Cain | 01 Jan 2004 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Investigative Committee on Ethics (Co-Chair) |
| 6 | Janice McHenry | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Metropolitan Development |
| 7 | Maggie Lewis | 05 Jan 2009 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Community Affairs |
| 8 | Monroe Gray, Jr. | 23 Nov 1992 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Rules and Public Policy |
| 9 | Jackie Nytes | 03 Jan 2000 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Municipal Corporations |
| 10 | William Oliver | 01 Jan 2004 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Investigative Committee on Ethics (Co-Chair) |
| 11 | Paul Bateman | 07 Mar 2006 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Administration and Finance |
| 12 | Michael McQuillen | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Municipal Corporations (Chair) |
| 13 | Robert Lutz | 20 Jul 2007 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Rules and Public Policy (Chair) |
| 14 | Mariliyn Pfisterer | 01 Jan 2004 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Administration and Finance (Chair) |
| 15 | Doris Minton-McNeill | 22 Mar 2008 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Economic Development |
| 16 | Brian Mahern | 01 Jan 2008 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Community Affairs |
| 17 | Mary Moriarty Adams | 01 Jan 1988 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Public Safety and Criminal Justice |
| 18 | Vernon Brown | 01 Jan 2004 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Parks and Recreation |
| 19 | Dane Mahern | 01 Jan 2004 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Metropolitan Development |
| 20 | N. Susie Day | 01 Jan 2004 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Parks and Recreation (Chair) |
| 21 | Benjamin Hunter | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Public Safety (Chair) |
| 22 | Bob Cockrum | 01 Jan 1996 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Rules and Public Safety |
| 23 | Jeff Cardwell | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Economic Development (Chair) |
| 24 | Mike Speedy | 01 Jan 2004 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Public Works (Chair) |
| 25 | Aaron Freeman | 2010 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Parks and Recreation |
| At-Large | Ed Coleman | 01 Jan 2008 | Libertarian Libertarian Party (United States) The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration... |
Rules and Public Policy |
| At-Large | Barbara Malone | 01 Jan 2008 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Municipal Corporations |
| At-Large | Joanne Sanders | 03 Jan 2000 | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Administration and Finance |
| At-Large | Angel Rivera | 2010 | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Rules and Public Policy |
The Clerk of the Council is Melissa Thompson.