1991 Indianapolis mayoral election
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The Indianapolis mayoral election of 1991 took place on November 5, 1991 and saw the election of Republican Stephen Goldsmith.[2]
Nominations
[edit]Primaries were held in May.[2]
Democratic primary
[edit]State senator Louis Mahern won the Democratic primary.[2]
Republican primary
[edit]Following his failed 1990 run for Secretary of State, incumbent Republican mayor William Hudnut III announced in December 1990 that he would not seek reelection in the following year's election.[2]
Marion County prosecutor Stephen Goldsmith defeated state senator Virginia Blankenbaker for the Republican nomination.[2] Before the primary, Goldsmith had secured the endorsement of the county Republican caucus.[2] Blankenbaker unsuccessfully sought to win by attracting crossover votes by Democrats.[2]
General election
[edit]On education, Goldsmith was a supporter of school choice, increased parental involvement in education, and an opponent of court ordered desegregation busing.[2] Mahern similarly supported school choice and argued for the need to reestablish neighborhood schools.[2]
Both candidates supported completing the construction of the Circle Centre mall.[2] Goldsmith, however, promised not to spend any more public funds on it.[2]
On crime, both candidates supported community policing.[2] Mahern supported implementing a waiting period for the purchase of guns.[2]
Both candidates argued that the city needed to undertake infrastructure improvements.[2] Both candidates opposed raising property taxes to fund such improvements.[2] Mahern was supportive of an increase in the city's sewer tax, and sought to create a commuter tax. [2] Goldsmith was open to increasing user fees to pay for infrastructure expenditures.[2] The two candidates disagreed on the expense of infrastructure demands. Mahern endorsed the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's report on infrastructure, while Goldsmith contended that between $100 and 200 million could be cut from the report's $1.1 billion cost estimate.[2] Both candidates proposed selling municipal assets in order to raise funds.[2]
Less than half of the city's 417,000 eligible voters participated in the election.[2]
Mahern lost a significant share of the traditionally-Democratic Catholic vote, which some experts attributed to his stance on abortion.[2] Mahern received strong support from African American voters.[2] Goldsmith overwhelming won the city's outlying, primarily white, precincts.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stephen Goldsmith | 124,100 | 52.2 | |
| Democratic | Louis Mahern | 109,761 | 46.1 | |
| Turnout | 233,861 | |||
| Majority | 14,339 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bodenhamer, David J. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana University Press. p. 1356 and 1357. ISBN 0-253-31222-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Bodenhamer, David J. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana University Press. pp. 538 and 539. ISBN 0-253-31222-1.
| Preceded by 1987 |
Indianapolis mayoral election 1991 |
Succeeded by 1995 |
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