In his third inaugural address, Mayor Joseph H. Hogsett outlines his commitment to improving public safety and education in Indianapolis following recent societal upheavals. He emphasizes the importance of addressing gun violence and ensuring women's healthcare rights while also highlighting the need for educational reforms, as many students struggle with basic literacy and math skills. Hogsett calls for community collaboration to create a high-quality educational system that supports the future of the city's children and, ultimately, its overall prosperity.

1. REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR JOSEPH H. HOGSETT
Third Inaugural Address
January 1, 2024
Judge Walton Pratt, Council President Osili, Leaders Lewis and Mowery, fellow citizens:
This marks the third time I have come before you to take the oath of office as Mayor of the City
of Indianapolis. Since I last stood in this very place, our City has endured the fear of an unknown
global disease and its ultimate devastating toll. Our universal conscience was then shaken into
consciousness by a racial reckoning and by civic upheaval, as discrimination and inequity long
ignored was laid bare. These moments of crisis did not occur on a foreign shore. We did not
simply read about them. We lived them – raw and real. On our own streets and in our own
homes.
Together, we bear the scars – in body and mind . . . and memory. We will carry them with us –
forever. As we should. As we must.
But today, together, we must begin anew.
Today, in an oath of merely fifty-six words, we rededicate ourselves to the very essence of our
democracy. We renew the simple, sacred promise of our Republic: that the people consent to be
governed, and the government vows to keep them safe, to honor their fundamental rights, and to
secure a future in which they may pursue their dreams.
Over the last four years, I have elaborated in great detail our approach to public safety and I am
pleased to report that over the last two years our work has been productive – with a 35% overall
reduction in criminal homicides and a nearly 8% overall reduction in violent crime.
And I will not stop pushing for a change of the culture around guns and the proliferation of guns
on our streets. Too many guns in the wrong hands lead to too many senseless deaths. We have
seen far too many of our city’s youth end up behind – or tragically, in front of – a gun. Our gun
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2. laws must change if we are truly committed to the potential, the opportunity, the promise of our
city’s young people.
We have also, over the last four years, made clear that Indianapolis would not stand aside, nor
stand quiet, when it comes to defending the inalienable rights of its residents – particularly a
woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. In the words of Dr. King, “‘an unjust law is
no law at all.’” So, I will once again make clear – for as long as I am mayor of our City, our
police will vigorously investigate crimes and relentlessly pursue criminals – not women, nor
their healthcare decisions, nor their doctors.
These policies are important and are worth restating, but they are not new – I, and others, have
said them before.
If we are truly to begin anew, we are afforded today the opportunity to think anew – to say
something long unsaid, to accomplish something long undone.
I want to share with you a secret today. When you become Mayor of Indianapolis, the wizened
veterans of a political yesteryear chronically whisper something in your ear: “Mayor, [they say],
do as you must, govern as you will . . . but don’t touch the third rail.”
What they mean is this: stay completely away from education, the politics of it are fraught with
peril – littered with the careers of foolish politicians who promise too much and reach too far.
Yet if our greatest moral obligation as a society is to secure our children’s future, then our
greatest civic obligation is to guarantee the quality of their education.
■ Over 30% of Indianapolis third graders today do not read at grade level.
■ Only 20% of Indianapolis eighth graders passed the ILearn math assessment.
■ Less than half of our high school graduates enroll in college.
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3. Of the nearly 900,000 residents of Indianapolis I have sworn an oath to today, 220,155 are under
the age of 18.
I am their mayor.
Of the nearly 900,000 residents of Indianapolis I have sworn an oath to today, 61,643 are under
the age of 5.
I am their mayor, too.
In our own humble way, our city has long embraced a tradition of marrying vision with risk. We
have been willing to put our future squarely in our own hands . . . to build a stadium without a
team, to rebuild a downtown while others built suburbs, to be the home of fortune 500
companies, to invite the world to our doorstep for conventions and world class sporting events –
the Indianapolis 500, NCAA Final Fours, national championships, and even a Superbowl.
In so doing, we have built a city that tens of thousands love to visit.
But I want to make them stay.
And I want every young family already here, to stay.
And I want every new set of grandparents, to stay.
And we can do that . . . if we make a commitment now:
that our schools will become the best in the world,
that we will build a system of education worthy of the dreams our children hold,
that we will make Indianapolis an educational destination, which is among the finest our country
can provide.
Scripture says, “[s]tart children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they
will not turn from it.”
Today, I commit this administration to that vision, and I commit my third term to that risk.
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4. ■ There is no better economic development project . . . than the Pre-K that allows parents
the opportunity to get back into the workforce and makes life more affordable for
working families.
■ There is no better cure to a life torn apart by crime . . . than the classroom that prevents it.
■ There is no better answer to a history of prejudice and inequality . . . than a child with the
skills to rise above it and the conscience to end it.
■ There is no better place for a mayor to find a vision for the future of a city . . . than in a
classroom.
Today, I ask you to join me there.
This generation of children in our city has been through more than most. And yet, they are the
last to complain.
Instead, they wake each morning and believe . . . in us.
There is nothing, nothing,
more beautiful in this world,
than the innocence and light,
the redeeming hope and the unearned love,
that exists in the eyes of a young child.
Judge Walton-Pratt, President Osili, Leaders Lewis and Mowery, fellow citizens:
If we reach too far – let it be from audacity of purpose.
If we move too fast – let it be for what is at stake.
If one idea fails to take root – let us plant one thousand and one more.
Because if even one more child succeeds, it will all have been worth it.
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5. And years from now, when the wizened veterans of political yesteryear point to some moments
of inevitable failure along way . . .
Let this generation of children at least say:
Yes, they tried and they failed . . .
But they did not fail to try.
I thank you.
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