McCana Meeting with Mayoral Candidate Vop Osley and Economic Development Director on 2026-10-20

The McCana neighborhood association held its October meeting on 2026-10-20, presided over by board member Pat Andrews. The meeting featured presentations from mayoral candidate and City-County Councillor Vop Osley, and Andrea Richter-Gary, Executive Director of the newly formed Indy Economic Development (IDI) organization. Topics ranged from housing affordability and criminal justice reform to economic development tools, data centers, and neighborhood infrastructure.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Multiple community members expressed distrust of the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD), stating that the agency does not adequately listen to neighborhoods, specifically regarding the approval of data centers and the decoupling of zoning decisions from incentive package announcements.
• A resident raised concerns about 18-wheeler parking on residential streets, which damages infrastructure, and called for stronger code enforcement.
• An attendee asked mayoral candidate Vop Osley how he would manage conflicts between community input and the advice of established city power brokers, stressing the need for measurable accountability.
• A resident asked about the city's winter plan for people experiencing homelessness.
• During Richter-Gary's Q&A, a participant pressed for better feedback mechanisms so neighborhood organizations can learn about non-compliance with incentive agreements.

Discussion with Mayoral Candidate Vop Osley

• Background and Philosophy: Osley introduced himself as an architect, small business owner, and former City-County Council President, describing his governing philosophy as deeply listening to constituents, a principle he said he learned from the late Congresswoman Julia Carson.
• Re-Entry and Economic Equity: Osley stated that his first actions on the council in 2012 included establishing a re-entry policy study commission and removing the criminal history check box from city job applications. He secured $2 million for the city's first micro-loan program for small businesses and $1.5 million for job training targeted at individuals with criminal records.
• Housing Affordability: Osley cited data showing that between 2019 and 2024, wages grew by 16 to 19 percent while housing costs escalated by 32 to 33 percent. He proposed bringing the Indianapolis Housing Agency under direct mayoral control to coordinate resources. He committed to building or renovating 5,000 units of housing within his first term, with $10 to $12 million dedicated to a "missing middle" workforce housing fund.
• Neighborhood Preservation: Osley took credit for championing the Riverside community's property tax relief pilot program, which capped annual property tax increases at 4%, a policy now expanded to 10 neighborhoods.
• Infrastructure: Osley defended the recent decision to raise vehicle registration fees, explaining the state's funding formula disadvantages Marion County. He advocated for bonding the expected $70 million in annual revenue into a $370-375 million fund to accelerate neighborhood road and sidewalk repairs.
• Data Centers: Osley stated a firm position that "no data center belongs anywhere near a residential community" and questioned why a municipality should incentivize a "multi-gazillion dollar entity."
• Mental Health and Public Safety: Osley pledged to create a Deputy Mayor of Community Wellness to address trauma and mental health, linking it to reducing violent crime, noting a drop from 241 homicides in 2021 to 133 the previous year.
• Accountability: When asked how he would weigh community opposition against establishment support for specific projects, Osley pledged to use measurable public goals, stating, "I want to be held accountable. If I say something, if I can get it done, I'm gonna get it done."

Discussion with Indy Economic Development Director Andrea Richter-Gary

• Role of IDI: Richter-Gary introduced IDI as a 10-person nonprofit contracted by the city to manage the front-end funnel of business attraction and retention, performing due diligence and recommending incentive terms using a scoring matrix.
• Demographics and Economic Context: Richter-Gary stated Marion County's median age is 34 but its median household income lags suburban counties. She noted Indianapolis holds a $60 billion tax base, equal to the other seven neighboring counties combined, but its growth rate is slower.
• Tax Abatement and Inclusion Plans: She explained the matrix from a 2019 Brookings study. A key requirement is that 5% of tax savings from an abatement must go to an inclusion plan for training, child care, or infrastructure. This is contractually binding.
• Data Centers: Richter-Gary confirmed IDI created a dedicated scorecard for data centers. She acknowledged public frustration that incentive terms are not public before zoning votes and expressed support for aligning the two processes.
• Process and Transparency: She committed to exploring better ways to share abatement compliance information with neighborhoods and to working with DMD to improve transparency of the project review process.
• Governance: Richter-Gary confirmed the IDI board is advisory only and does not vote on deals; the MDC is the final decision-making body for tax abatements.

Key Outcomes and Next Steps

• McCana announced its November meeting will feature mayoral candidate Senator Andrea Hunley and Lisa Lafflin.
• Board member Pat Andrews encouraged attendees to vote on November 3rd and to download sample ballots.
• Mayoral candidate Vop Osley directed residents to his campaign website at www.votevop.com.
• Andrea Richter-Gary provided IDI's website at indyeconomicdevelopment.com for program details.
• McCana provided its email, McCannaIndy@gmail.com, for residents to join its announcement blast list.