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List of mayors of Indianapolis facts for kids

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Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
Seal of the Office of the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis.png
Seal of the Office of the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
IndyGo Red Line opening 56 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Joe Hogsett
since January 1, 2016
Term length Four years
Inaugural holder Samuel Henderson
Formation 1847
Salary $95,317.60 annually
Website Office of the Mayor

The Mayor of Indianapolis is like the main leader of the city and Marion County. Think of them as the CEO of Indianapolis! Their job is to manage all the different parts of the city and county government. This includes departments, agencies, and other groups that help the city run smoothly.

The mayor also has an important power: they can approve or reject new laws. These laws are first passed by the Indianapolis City-County Council, which is like the city's law-making team. The mayor serves for four years at a time. There is no limit to how many terms they can serve.

As of 2016, the mayor earned about $95,317 each year. The Mayor's main office is located on the twenty-fifth floor of the City-County Building.

How Mayors Are Elected

The Mayor of Indianapolis is chosen by voters every four years. These elections happen in November, one year before the big United States presidential elections. The person who wins usually starts their job on January 1st of the next year. The next election for mayor will be in 2027.

When you vote in Indianapolis city elections, you will see that candidates belong to different political parties. This is called a partisan election. Before the main election in November, there are "primary elections" in May. In these primary elections, people from the same political party compete to become their party's official candidate for mayor. The winners then go on to campaign in the general election in November.

A Look at Past Mayors

Indianapolis has had 43 different people serve as mayor. However, some mayors served more than once, but not in a row. Because of this, there have been 49 times someone held the mayor's office. For example, six people, including John Caven and Reginald H. Sullivan, served two separate times.

The mayor who served the longest was William "Bill" Hudnut. He was mayor for 16 years, serving four terms in a row. The shortest time anyone was mayor was Claude E. Negley, who served for only 13 days!

Before Unigov

For many years, the Mayor's Office was located in the Old Indianapolis City Hall. This building was used from 1910 until 1962. After that, the office moved to the new City-County Building.

After Unigov: A New Era

A big change happened on January 1, 1970. This was when a new system called Unigov started. Unigov combined the governments of Indianapolis and Marion County. This meant that the Mayor of Indianapolis became the main leader for both the city and the entire county.

Because of Unigov, everyone who lives in Marion County can vote for the Mayor of Indianapolis. This is true even if they live in a smaller, independent town within the county, like Beech Grove. They get to vote for their own town's mayor and also for the Mayor of Indianapolis. Richard Lugar was the mayor when Unigov began. He was the first mayor to lead under this new combined government.

Images for kids

  • Old Indianapolis City Hall

    Old Indianapolis City Hall housed the Mayor's Office from 1910 until completion of the City-County Building in 1962.

  • John Caven, 1899

    John Caven

  • Colonel Daniel Macauley

    Daniel McCauley

  • Thomas Taggart, LCCN2006677840 (cropped 3x4)

    Thomas Taggart

  • Mayor Lew Shank LCCN2014686592

    Samuel L. Shank

  • John L. Duvall (1) (a)

    John L. Duvall

  • Lemuel Ertus Slack

    Lemuel Ertus Slack

  • Reginald H. Sullivan

    Reginald H. Sullivan

  • Robert Henry Tyndall in Indianapolis Men of Affairs, 1923

    Robert Tyndall

  • AlexClark

    Alex M. Clark

  • Dick Lugar official photo 2010

    Richard Lugar was the 44th mayor of Indianapolis, and the first under Unigov.

  • Richard Lugar 1977 congressional photo

    Richard Lugar

  • WmHudnutIII

    William H. Hudnut

  • Stephen Goldsmith (1)

    Stephen Goldsmith

  • Mayor Bart Peterson of Indianapolis (2006) (1)

    Bart Peterson

  • GregBallard (1)

    Greg Ballard

  • IndyGo Red Line opening 56 (cropped)

    Joe Hogsett

See also

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List of mayors of Indianapolis Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.