Meet the candidates for City-County Council District 14

Two candidates are running for Indianapolis City-County Council District 14: Republican Brenda Bishop-Kyle and Democrat Andy Nielsen. Neither have served on the council before. The newly redrawn district 14 represents more of the east side.

Bishop-Kyle, 68, is self-employed and previously taught at Our Lady of Lourdes. 

Nielsen, 33, works as a senior policy analyst and has done advocacy work surrounding poverty. 

WFYI and the Indianapolis Recorder sent each of the candidates six questions to help voters learn more. Their answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Editors’ note: Responses were edited for style and grammar, and any numbers used were checked for accuracy. When a statement required more clarification or could not be independently verified, WFYI reached out to candidates before publication. Those instances, and those candidate responses, are noted throughout in editors’ notes, marked by an * and presented in italics.

Early voting opened Oct. 11. Election Day is Nov. 7. 

BRENDA BISHOP-KYLE

What are the top concerns that your district’s constituents have shared with you, and what are the issues that you foresee affecting them most in the next two to three years?  Public Safety, Economic Development, Civic Infrastructure. We need more police hired so they can do their jobs properly! We need some pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure changes for safety. We need to find developers who can rebuild our community properly. (Irvington residents miss the old Marsh formerly located at Irvington Plaza). We need to utilize the TIF (tax increment financing) tax breaks with nice townhomes and apartments that can be affordable.

There are many concerns about the dedicated lane rapid transit system. I’ve addressed a major one already with INDOT design team. I worked for 15 years with INDOT as a real estate and project manager consultant. I will be a great asset as a Councilor for District 14. My Blog Posts about it are on my website www.brendabishop-kyle.com.

Affordable housing is a major issue in Indianapolis. What measures should the council take to address this?

I have tax incentive ideas! I have a master’s degree in taxation: I would like to create a program based on limited income with a bond issue combined with Section 8 assistance that will help constituents own a home and get back on track with their income and retirement savings. 

What is your top concern regarding public safety in Indianapolis? What steps will you take as a council member to address it?

Do everything I can to attract people into a career of law enforcement and help the communities build relationships with our Eastside division of IMPD. We need to get respect back and move forward with the realization that we need police officers to protect us and enforce laws! Also, citizens that break the law need to be held accountable for their actions.

What specific steps will you take to address environmental concerns in your district that affect your constituents’ quality of life and life expectancy?

The Pennsy Trail is supposed to be a greenway… it has been ignored too long! I would like to work with KIB [Keep Indianapolis Beautiful] and create parks and trails in and around the district everywhere possible: eliminate boarded properties, attract restaurant entrepreneurs that offer great healthy food items; and do more community gardens. We also need to keep litter picked up, clean up the neighborhoods and get back to street cleanings. There are a lot of opportunities for improvements in this district. There are also a lot of well maintained neighborhoods.

What specific steps will you take to connect minority-owned businesses in Indianapolis with contracts for city projects? How else will you support growth opportunities for minority-owned businesses?

I will assist all minority-owned businesses with registration for state and city government projects. I used to have a women owned consulting firm when I contracted with the state (with INDOT). I can make sure they register properly and submit bids for work to help establish a good working relationship within government agencies and then they will attract more employees. Taking advantage of training for small business owners with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and having a good mentor from SCORE (the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals). It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration; client base 64 percent women, 46 percent minorities, 9 percent veterans.

What would you like to see happen for K-12 education in Indianapolis, and how would you work as a city-county councilor to achieve that?

There are so many people working together on education in our city right now! Shortridge is an IB (international baccalaureate) high school and Howe is reopening in 2024-2025 school year as an IB middle school that will feed into Shortridge. The Excel Center is a “free” high school for adults young or old wanting to get back on track and have a new location in southeast Indy. They also offer free college courses and transportation assistance, along with Onsite Child Care! - flexible scheduling and free industry-recognized certifications. Excel center.org. Great schools attract great talent, and residents to a community. Warren Township Schools are always working hard to amplify their curriculum and sports programs. They have a lot to offer the students; and also the Irvington Charter Schools, the Parochial Schools, Lutheran Schools and IPS Schools. I think it is really important to promote literacy among young students and to get them involved with reading comprehension and good writing skills because they are key elements to success. Educators need to encourage students of all ages to keep reading and writing on a regular basis. This is an area that needs more prominence and more instruction because with more reliance on AI and technology in the classroom a lot of our writing skills and reading comprehension will begin to lack —reliance on computers can lead to a loss of comprehension. 

ANDY NIELSEN

What are the top concerns that your district’s constituents have shared with you, and what are the issues that you foresee affecting them most in the next two to three years?  

The top priorities that I hear from neighbors in District 14 are to 1) make our streets and sidewalks safer (with a focus on school zone safety) and improve the Eastside’s infrastructure and public transportation options; 2) ensure every neighbor has a safe, affordable, and clean place to call home; and 3) develop vibrant neighborhoods by supporting small businesses, expanding green spaces and community gathering spaces, and making Indianapolis as inclusive and welcoming as possible. Over the next two to three years, District 14 has two very big opportunities to address these challenges -- the construction of the Blue Line, Indianapolis’ third Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, and the potential redevelopment of Irvington Plaza and the associated Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. The construction of the Blue Line will not only bring with it expanded access to reliable and efficient public transportation, but will also allow for significant upgrades to our public infrastructure along East Washington Street and will serve as a traffic calming measure along one of District 14’s busiest and most dangerous roads. The redevelopment of Irvington Plaza could be an opportunity to address the affordable housing shortage in District 14, and also to bring in and support small businesses and create new, vibrant community gathering spaces. Relatedly, the TIF dollars that will come from the redevelopment of that area could support further improvements to our parks. For these reasons (and more!), I am excited about the future of the Eastside and of Indianapolis!

Affordable housing is a major issue in Indianapolis. What measures should the council take to address this?

I believe that housing is a right, housing is healthcare, and that the city can and should be taking a proven, Housing First approach to ensure that everyone has a safe, clean, and affordable place to call home. I am supportive of the city investing in low-barrier shelter options and in expanding access to permanent supportive housing, which provides wraparound services and stable shelter to our currently unhoused neighbors. The city of Philadelphia can be looked to as an example of approaching Housing First and financing it creatively by requesting a Medicaid waiver to allow Medicaid dollars to be used for housing - the result was that nearly 90 percent of individuals were no longer using crisis housing services, meaning they were housing stable, and healthcare providers saw an 80 percent decrease in healthcare costs. Individuals who are housed were healthier, all while saving taxpayer dollars. We can do that in Indianapolis, too.

In 46219, 57 percent of renters are rent-burdened, meaning they spent more than 30% of their income on rent. And 31 percent spent more than 50 percent of their income, which is higher than the rate of the city as a whole. That puts extreme hardships on people – as a financial coach at Southeast Community Services, I worked with neighbors who had to make very real, hard choices about paying rent, utilities, child care, or putting food on the table. We must invest in more affordable housing in our city. While we have made some progress, we can do more. And that means not incentivizing high-end, market rate apartments with our limited budget, but reserving those incentives for developers who are committed to addressing the shortage of affordable housing.

Additionally, homeowners should not be at risk of losing their homes due to rising property taxes, which is why I’m supportive of targeted property tax relief to neighbors who are struggling.

And finally, when we are thinking about future development – like potential redevelopment at Irvington Plaza – we need to consider how we can create units that are affordable and accessible so that our older residents can age in the community that they love with dignity. 

What is your top concern regarding public safety in Indianapolis? What steps will you take as a council member to address it?

While violent crime and murder rates have decreased in the last few years, gun violence and violent crime is still higher than pre-pandemic levels and must be addressed.* The Indianapolis City-County Council is limited in what it can do, given state preemption laws, but I am supportive of the city’s recent action to limit access to guns and push back against misguided, dangerous state laws. We need to stand alongside our counterparts at the Statehouse and call for changes that align with common sense gun ownership. Additionally, I am supportive of establishing no-questions-asked firearm drop off sites to encourage safe gun disposal.

*Editor’s note: With some fluctuation, the number of criminal homicides has trended up in Indianapolis in recent years with a spike after the pandemic. 

It is without question that I am supportive of the City-County Council ensuring our public safety officials have the resources and training they need to do their jobs. I am also supportive of continuing to expand evidence-based efforts to reduce violence, such as community violence intervention programs and community policing efforts.

However, we also know that safe communities are well-resourced and economically stable communities, and we cannot truly address public safety concerns without addressing why our communities become unsafe in the first place. When someone can’t meet their basic needs, they are forced to make heartbreaking decisions. As a city, we must invest in affordable housing, food access, quality childcare, and jobs with living wages and benefits. 

What specific steps will you take to address environmental concerns in your district that affect your constituents’ quality of life and life expectancy?

Indianapolis is consistently ranked as having some of the worst air quality of any major city across the country, and is one of the only cities of its size without a curb-side recycling program. I strongly believe that our City-County Council can do more to address the growing threat of climate change in our community, including by implementing curb-side recycling and adding consumer plastics recycling, requiring new development meets energy efficiency standards set by the City, expanding access to green space, increasing green public transportation options, and improving pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure to encourage reduced vehicular emissions. The Council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee has the charge and the authority to drive real progress so that Indianapolis is truly a climate resilient city, and I am excited to support those efforts.

What specific steps will you take to connect minority-owned businesses in Indianapolis with contracts for city projects? How else will you support growth opportunities for minority-owned businesses?

I will continue to support the work of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development and their efforts to connect minority-owned businesses with city contracts. I look forward to seeing the results of the Office’s 2024 Disparity Study and will push all city and county departments to participate and determine where gaps exist. 

Access to capital is a critical resource to help businesses survive and grow. Longstanding inequities in financial services and capital markets require dedicated funding streams to help minority-owned businesses reach their full potential. I will work to expand the Indy Chamber’s [Business Ownership Initiative] to support business growth and development, and work with minority-owned and operated Community Development Financial Institutions to leverage and grow their funds to provide capital. I am also committed to streamlining the bidding and payment process and unbundling projects to promote access to prime and large contracts. 

I am also excited about the potential that the newly-established Office of Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion has in informing efforts to increase growth for minority-owned businesses. 

What would you like to see happen for K-12 education in Indianapolis, and how would you work as a city-county councilor to achieve that? 

I am a strong supporter of public schools and believe that all children, regardless of zip code, deserve access to a world class education, taught by well-paid and well-supported educators, and provided in well-resourced school building. While the City-County Council has limited authority over K-12 schools in Indianapolis, there are ways that the council can and should support our teachers, students, and school communities. For example, the council should work to ensure that all kids get to school safely. The city should prioritize critical and rapid safety improvements to our school zones to protect our children. We should create a separate, dedicated line item in our budget that will promote simpler, transparent signage; speed cushions or bumps; and random, nondisclosed traffic enforcement. This fund could also be used in coordination with our school districts to create safer bus stops and improve safety conditions along the routes that children take when walking or cycling to school (including access to sidewalks and safe crosswalks).

Additionally, our teachers are being asked to not only make sure our kids know how to read and write, but also to address the heightened mental health and social emotional needs of students (especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic). These challenges are often inextricably linked with poverty - childhood poverty increased by 238 percent (7.2 percentage points) in the last year.* The stress and trauma associated with not being able to consistently meet your basic needs - housing, healthcare, food - has real consequences, especially for young people. The city can play a role in providing wraparound supports to students, and connecting their families with resources, so that it doesn’t all fall on the shoulders of our schools. The City Connects pilot is a great example of this kind of support, and I am supportive of the city continuing to expand these programs.

*Editors’ note: The U.S. Census Bureau released this report on national poverty in 2022. That increase stemmed from a variety of factors, including the end of the child tax credit.

Finally, while many of our young people want to be able to gain work experience through apprenticeships and internships or to earn college credit while in high school (opportunities which are often available in more resourced communities) - transportation is a huge barrier. The city can work alongside schools to help address this barrier, similar to the Driven 2 Success pilot on the far Eastside, championed by Councilor Jackson.