Good evening.

Um, I call to start the ethics committee meeting.

It is Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

It is 5 30 p.m.

And I will have my colleagues introduce themselves starting on the left.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I am Michael Paul Hart, representing District 20.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Josh Bain, District 21.

Good evening, uh Frank Mascarry, District 19, Southeast Side.

Thank you.

And I'm Chair McCormick, District 16 on the west side.

Okay.

And then we've got our our final member coming in here.

Making an entrance.

Yes.

Making his entrance.

Paul Anna, District 22.

Thank you, Counselor.

Uh, we have one item on our agenda this evening, proposal number 145, 2026, which amends section 151-11-32 of the code to remove the home address from the council disclosure statement.

Uh my colleagues will see on their statement it is stricken through.

Uh we are removing only items, we're not adding things adding anything else.

So in section 150 section one, section 151, 11-32, ethics disclosure item C number one, the name cancels out as residence address, so it's the name and business addresses of the counselor is what will remain.

And I will open it up to my colleagues for any questions or comments.

Counselor Mascari.

Thank you, Ms.

Chairman.

Um, I've read through this.

I I really can't support it.

I I am in a retail environment and people know where I'm at.

I have people weekly come into my my environment at store.

And I try to rectify some of their problems.

Um what happened to Ron Gibson is terrible, but I'm I'm not gonna hide in this low level political position that I'm in.

So I I'm not gonna support this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Come on, Councilor Bay.

Thank you, madam chair.

Uh I certainly don't view this proposal as hiding at all.

Um there are many, many different ways to get a hold of a district counselor.

In my six years, no one has ever come and knocked on my door to ask me for something.

Generally they'll call, text or email, or send a Facebook message or a direct message on X.

Um, certainly no one just comes to my address and like files a complaint that way.

Uh this is simply a result of the current political climate that we're in, which I think is very unfortunate.

Speak of someone who has received the death threats, the um swatting threats, pipe bomb threats, had the calls with IMPD, and then immediately after I get off film with IMPD, have to call my wife, tell her um unfortunately they're telling me you should probably work from the basement today and stay away from the windows.

That's a weird place to be.

And that's what this proposal is about.

Thank you, madam chair.

Uh you know, as Councillor Bain noted, um, this is really a response to the political climate that we find ourselves in.

I appreciate Councillor Mascary's point as well.

And it's just one of those things where uh here in Indianapolis we're experiencing something that maybe we haven't experienced much of, uh, that other uh places around the country have.

And so, you know, I think this is a good first step.

Um what is put into ordinance can always be taken out or amended in the future.

Uh but to me this is worthwhile.

I appreciate those who have worked on this uh to see how this protects uh folks, hopefully.

And uh, you know, should additional concerns be made, uh, or Councilor Mascarri, if uh you know there's something in the future that uh you identify as maybe a different solution or avenue.

I think it'd be something worth entertaining, but I think as it is today, it's important to respond to the current uh environment that exists.

And uh with the counselor Gibson, um I don't think there's any question uh that this environment has existed now in Indianapolis.

Yeah, uh yeah, madam chair.

I'd say, you know, when I read this proposal, you know, what immediately came to mind to me is that there are multiple other locations that our address is still listed, and I'll save from listing all of them just so you know people have to go find the channel to go through.

But it's there, there are plenty other places, right?

Um, and you know, to Councillor Bain's point, I don't think anybody's ever knocked on my door from a constituency standpoint to address an issue.

Um, I will say, though, that they have vandalized my business when they haven't liked a thing.

That was an unfortunate situation.

Um that's still in here, right?

So, Counselor Mascarry's point.

Um, you know, at the end of the day, you know, I don't I don't know that this solves the problem, to be honest with you.

Um, I don't know that it makes it any better or any worse.

Um, you know, from an ethics disclosure standpoint, which is the intent of this document, um, you know, it it's not gonna really make much.

I don't think it's gonna make much of a difference at the end of the day, whether it's it's in here or not out of here.

Um, I think I've heard from a handful of of my uh colleagues, and I'm I'm willing to support them and their better interests um to support this this evening as well.

But um, you know, I'm on the fence, I think it could it can, but it's not necessarily gonna be um the saving grace on on protecting us as counselors at the end of the day.

Um, we do have an obligation to residents, we've got to make ourselves available to them, and I don't think that this is gonna change that either at the end of the day, right?

Um so um that's my my position on it.

I'm sorry to speak twice, but I think counselor Hart really said what I was trying to say, which I don't know that it's gonna move the needle much, but I think given this unique new um uh environment that we're seemingly seeing more and more of, it's worth a try.

And based on some of those, as counselor Bain eloquently said, and I appreciate him sharing his personal experiences with this.

It's something that's important.

And I think just to further relay that there is no additional barrier that this is placing between us and our constituents.

There's no additional hurdle.

Um, those same uh ways of writing letters to the council office, sending emails to indie.gov, Facebooking us, coming to meetings and things, uh, those are still all available.

This is just an attempt, I think, to try and make sure that those who are in this body have some level or sense of security that maybe otherwise hasn't existed.

Yeah, thank you.

Um, and I think one of the things uh some of the items that I want to cover is uh this is the ethics disclosure for our conflict of interest.

Um our residents of our address, our proof of address is verified by the election board when we filed to run, and that's where our home addresses are on record.

Um, and so that information again is available, but it's not from this body, it's not required by this body from any municipal county, state, or federal reason that they have that.

Um, our administrators off administration office or other elected officials in Marion County, as well as at the state house, do not include their addresses on their forums.

Um, and so we're actually going sort of with that standard.

There is a level, we have transparency, and that's one of the things that this body, our committee does is we make sure that we're transparent.

What transparent with our ethical standards that we have as counselors?

There's also a level of safety that we need to have.

Uh, I know Counselor Bain mentioned we've had um issues at our house, right?

So I've had neighbors come up and ask questions, right?

Like that's that's standard, I think, to come and talk about issues.

I've had neighbors come up, but if anybody's been outside of my neighborhood has come to our neighborhood or to our home is not been in for positive reasons, and so I think with I have younger kids, I know many of us do.

We have family members that we want to keep safe, and if this gives us, even if it is more in theory versus practice a level of safety, I think that that's important to do our families and anybody else who would want to be in our position going forward.

Um, this is something that we need to exercise that level that that separation between safety and transparency.

And so that's part of the reason why we put this forward because we had an unfortunate event and no one was hurt, but I the tears will come if I start thinking about what would happen.

And so that's sort of where my heart is with this.

So I appreciate um all the comments.

I will open it up to the members of the room if anybody has any comments.

Okay, any final words or comments?

Yes, counselor.

Thank you, madam chair.

I just want to say I think it's important to judge this committee based off of its record in the six years that I've been here.

This committee has done nothing to decrease transparency.

This certainly is not an effort to do that.

Um, this committee actually had a pretty major overhaul.

I think it was um was it last year, two years ago, where um it used to be this document wasn't even publicly available.

And when you looked at it, there really wasn't that much relevant information on it.

And I was proud to lead the effort along with Chairwoman McCormick two years ago to really beef up our ethics disclosure forum.

Uh put uh on there um counselors actually have to disclose a lot more about their relationships with the city and their employers' relationships with the city, all of which never used to be um well, don't say it was never publicly available, but was certainly not publicly available in a very convenient place like the ethics disclosure form.

So this and certainly no way is uh detracting from transparency, and it's important to look at this committee's work as a whole.

I agree.

Yes, and prior to two years ago, the form wasn't online, and so when we made those changes two years ago, I don't think that this was something that we thought we would have part of the conversation, or we probably would have had it then that if we were gonna post our disclosures to be one-click access, um, that maybe our addresses wouldn't be there because even though they are accessible, maybe somebody who has to go do a little bit of digging will won't make a stupid choice, right?

So, yes, counselor.

Thank you, German.

Um, like I said, I'm against this.

I I have an open mind in my retail establishment.

I'm I'm open, I'm I'm waiting the counters, and uh at least twice a week somebody comes in with a problem, and I just tried to solve the problem, and it's simple as that.

No one's ever threatened me.

That's never happened ever.

And actually, half of these people call me or come in, or not even my district as Paul and A knows.

There's one in his.

But um, I'll be voting now.

Thank you.

Any final comments?

Okay, um, we'll do a voice vote, or do we need to we don't need roll call?

Okay, so we'll do a voice vote.

Um, all those in favor say bye aye.

Oh, sorry, yeah, thank you.

I moved uh proposal on Friday.

145 2026, uh to the full council of the test recommendation.

Second.

Okay, it's been properly moved and seconded.

Um, all those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All those opposed.

Aye.

Okay, and the ayes have it.

We've got four to one, perfect.

Motion to adjourn.

Okay, so move for adjourned.

Thanks.

Have a good night.