Political operative's role in IPS school board election filing still leaves unanswered questions

Peter Luster is a veteran political operative who leads government affairs for the education advocacy group RISE Indy, which has endorsed candidates in the Indianapolis Public Schools board race.

He has also worked in Indiana politics for more than two decades — including on the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns and as former executive director of the Marion County Democratic Party.

When Luster’s long-term friend Terrencio Davis told him he wanted to run for the IPS board last year, Luster said he was excited to help collect signatures and assist with Davis’ filing.

There was just one problem: Davis did not live in the school district where he planned to run.

Davis attempted to run for the IPS District 2 seat — an area that includes the Massachusetts Avenue passageway northeast of downtown. However, he was not eligible for the position because he lives in the boundaries of Lawrence Township Schools.

When Luster prepared Davis’ candidate filing, which was submitted to Marion County election officials, he used an address that is within the boundaries of IPS District 2 but was not Davis’ residence.

Luster did not respond to multiple requests for comment from WFYI. However, in October he sent an email to a WFYI reporter about the campaign filing. He stated that, when he was “notified that the form was missing an address, I hastily provided a mailing address which I could recall, which is permissible.”

“Later, we realized that although Lawrence is partially within the IPS district, not all areas qualify,” he wrote.

Months after the November election ended, Luster’s involvement in Davis’ candidate filing continues to raise questions because he is a vice president of RISE Indy.

RISE Indy is focused on increasing resources for students at public schools and engaging the community in education policy. It has promoted voter registration and civic engagement efforts, and runs literacy initiatives for families.

The organization also uses its political action committee to financially support IPS school board candidates it endorses. In the November 2024 election, the PAC directly donated a total of $24,194 to three IPS candidates, according to its annual campaign finance report.

RISE Indy is currently facing scrutiny from some traditional public school advocates as debate surges over state legislation that could change how IPS property tax dollars are allocated. The organization has responded to some accusations.

Laura Wilson, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, said that, based on her experience with elections, errors such as those on Davis’ candidate filing are unusual and raise concerns about intent.

“It's rare that a candidate would be so brazen as to do this,” she said. “And I guess in this case, we're talking about a third party here. That's not typical at all, and it's a pretty big deal.”

A spokesperson for RISE Indy said the organization was not aware that Luster filled out the paperwork for Davis and did not invite Davis to apply for its endorsement process. They denied recruiting Davis to run and stated that Luster was acting in a personal capacity, adding that the organization would not support a candidate who does not reside in the required district.

Incorrect election filing

To run for an elected school board position, candidates must submit a petition for nomination and consent. That form is known as the CAN-34. Ten people who reside in the candidate’s district must also sign the form in order for the candidate to be eligible. 

Luster filled out the CAN-34 for Davis, and it was filed with the county clerk on June 18, 2024. Under the heading "complete candidate address" the street address printed for Davis is a house in District 2. But Davis lives inside Lawrence Township boundaries and less than a mile from Fort Harrison State Park.
 

A person with the same last name of Luster lives at the address printed on CAN-34 form, according to voter registration data. Peter Luster did not respond to a question from WFYI about whether he is related to the person at the address.

Luster told WFYI in the October email that he "hastily provided a mailing address which I could recall” to the CAN-34 form after he was “notified that the form was missing an address.” 

Davis’ name, district and address are printed on the CAN-34 form, while the rest is filled out in handwritten pen. A representative of the Marion County clerk’s office told WFYI that no staff could remember a candidate for school board submitting paperwork with a missing address on the CAN-34 form.

Candidacy challenge

On June 20 another candidate in the race, Gayle Cosby, challenged Davis' candidacy with the Marion County Election Board on the grounds “this candidate’s residence is not within” District 2. Cosby ultimately won the seat in the November election.  

Davis had until July 15 to withdraw from the November election but he did not.

During a meeting of the Marion County Election Board on Aug. 29, director Patrick Becker said Davis wanted to withdraw from the race when he realized he was ineligible to run but missed the July deadline.

“Mr. Davis has subsequently provided us information that he understands he is not registered in the district and that he’s not eligible,” Becker said.

The board upheld the challenge and Davis was removed from the ballot. 

Davis did not respond to WFYI’s multiple requests for comment, including in late June when WFYI first reported he and other candidates filed for a board election. When a WFYI reporter went to his house in October, they were told to leave by someone inside the home. 

Cosby won the District 2 seat by beating out candidate Hasaan Rashid who was endorsed by RISE Indy. Cosby told WFYI she challenged Davis’ candidacy because she wanted to ensure the race stayed fair. 

Cosby, a critic of RISE Indy, believes the organization wanted Davis to be on the ballot. During the 2024 election cycle, Cosby initially sought the endorsement of RISE Indy but removed herself from consideration in July.

A RISE Indy spokesperson denied that they recruited Davis to run and stated that Luster was acting in a personal capacity.

The concern

Wilson, the political science professor, said the situation surrounding the attempted campaign should raise red flags for voters.

It would be difficult for voters not to have questions, Wilson said, due to Luster’s employment with RISE Indy and the organization's prominent role in promoting elections and endorsing IPS school board candidates.

“Without a doubt, it does have to raise the very minimum concerns amongst voters who'd say, ‘Wow, if this wasn't caught, what would have happened?’ And even though things like this are few and far between, they are not typical, nor are they usual,” she said.

If a candidate wins an election and is later found to be not eligible, the local election board is not able to take action. Instead, a challenger would need to file a verified petition with the circuit court.

In 2019, the Indiana Court of Appeals disqualified an elected member of the MSD Washington Township School Board after determining she did not reside in the district she was elected to represent.

If Davis' candidacy wasn’t challenged, Brent Stinson, deputy director of the Marion County Election Board, said that Davis could have appeared on the ballot even if the board noticed the incorrect address. He said the challenge process is the best remedy for these kinds of situations. 

WFYI education reporter Dylan Peers McCoy contributed to this story.

WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. Contact her at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.