Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard: Making City Government Work

When Greg Ballard was elected mayor of Indianapolis in 2008, he knew his job wouldn't be easy. Like so many cities in the U.S., Indianapolis was struggling to provide services and projecting a budget shortfall of 150 million dollars in 2012.

Unlike most other cities, however, Indianapolis has become more efficient over the past four years. Under Ballard's leadership, the city pursued a variety of innovative approaches, including a partnership with a private firm to manage the city's water and waste water, that have improved services and restored the city's financial health.

Reason TV's Paul Feine sat down with Ballard to learn more about how he's making city government do more with less while day-to-day life for Indy residents.

About 5 minutes. Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning

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  News & Politics

[Combat79]

more of these.

[Dukect]

Great stuff I would like to see a series of this make it happen Reason

[H1TMANactual]

We might, can you show that holding the assets would have been more profitable than selling it?

[Bristecom]

I honestly think it's just so they can make money more easily from tickets. Nobody goes 55 on there and people always get ticketed around the Carmel area. And from what I remember when I traveled to California and back, every other city limit highway is at least 65 even though they were less safely designed. So yeah, I would feel so much better about our city if they just raised some of our speed limits and the cops didn't just spend all their time ticketing people for going 10-20 over.

[glanemann]

Yeah, I can't believe it's only 55 on the 465. That is stupid!

[BeardedDudeFromSpace]

Thats how we do it here in Nap-town

[Bristecom]

Yeah, Indianapolis had a terrible problem with potholes. Massive potholes would just sit on busy roads for years. Yet, they were more interested in raising taxes to build a new Colts stadium rather than fix them. But it does seem to be getting better in the past year or so. I just wish they would raise the highway speed limits. They are slower than most side and rural roads yet they are as safely designed as can be with 6 lanes and a median.

[bsabruzzo]

Wow on the trash pick-up. It is soooo gov't to have such a scattered pick-up everywhere on any day with no organization. While I'd think a private system might be better, and to most people "organizing" is a bad word, if a gov't can al teast realize that having 6 sections in proximity, each getting pick up on seperate days, allowing for less time on the streets and quick reactions to problems, I say there's some hope for common sense to thrive.

[backlash96chris]

A big city mayor who actually isn't a complete power hungry sociopath? I could never see Bloomberg doing this.

[uwmbigb]

Good interview with a good man