Clif Marsiglio

Candidate Q&A

In your view, what was the most important issue to come out of this year’s legislative session, and how would you have approached legislating the issue?

The most critical issue is HB 1423, which effectively dissolves local democratic control of IPS. By creating the mayor-appointed IPEC, the state has stripped our elected school board of its power over property taxes and buildings. This happened because we had a board more accountable to their charter-aligned PAC donors than to the neighbors who elected them. When you trade independence for campaign checks from groups like Rise Indy, you lose the standing to fight for the district’s survival.

How I’d approach it: As an educator, I will fight to repeal HB 1423 and restore power to Indianapolis voters. I will help campaign for school board members who vow to never take charter PAC money, ensuring our board answers to parents, not special interests. We need leaders who aren’t in debt to the organizations seeking to dismantle our system. I’ll legislate to keep public assets in public hands and return IPS to a model of taxation with representation.

Companies proposing data centers in Indianapolis had touted jobs and local tax revenue as benefits. Residents, many of whom have fiercely opposed the proposals, are concerned about pollution, energy bills and property values. What is your stance on the future of data centers in Indianapolis?

As a director with NESCO, the Near East Side Community Organization, I have spent over a year leading the opposition to predatory data center developments. From Martindale-Brightwood to our neighbors on the Southside, we have championed community stability over corporate convenience. These are not the “job creators” they claim to be. Construction often relies on out-of-state labor, and once operational, these facilities employ only a handful of people, many also brought from out of state. I am firmly opposed to 30-year tax abatements for trillion-dollar entities while everyday citizens face rising costs without relief.

How I’d approach it: I will legislate to ensure infrastructure serves people, not private subsidies. We must prioritize tax relief for residents before incentivizing global tech giants that strain our power grid while offering minimal local employment. Development must be held to rigorous environmental standards and must pay its fair share. If a company can afford a billion-dollar facility, it must contribute to the tax base just like any other neighbor in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis residents are facing steep increases to the cost of living at the same time federal benefits are being pulled back. What is one policy you would pursue to ease the financial burden of your constituents?

The policy I would prioritize is Statewide Tenant Protections. High housing costs and a lack of habitability standards are the primary drivers of financial instability in District 46. This instability is exacerbated by global entities like BlackRock, which is both a dominant institutional owner of single-family rentals in Indianapolis and the leader of a $33 billion acquisition this month to take AES private. When a single corporation acts as both your landlord and your electricity provider, “market choice” is a myth. We must end predatory land-lording by allowing for rent escrow in cases of failed essential services. Stability starts with a home; if we stabilize housing costs and ensure renters are not exploited by these extractive interests, we can prevent the cascade of financial crises that lead to food insecurity.

More than 1 in 10 Marion County residents were born outside the country. President Donald Trump’s administration is pursuing an immigration agenda that has led to mass detentions and, at times, resulted in the deaths of citizens and noncitizens. What is your role in maintaining the safety and due process rights of immigrants and other residents in Marion County?

Public safety cannot exist without universal due process. I have seen the failure of this system firsthand: my brother-in-law was imprisoned in an ICE facility for over a year without ever seeing a judge. When he was finally granted a hearing, his case was dismissed with prejudice in less than an hour. This type of state-sanctioned harassment is a direct threat to the stability of our neighbors. My role is to ensure local resources are never used to facilitate mass detentions that bypass the judicial system and tear families apart. We must protect the due process of the more than 10% of Marion County residents who are foreign-born, ensuring they can engage with emergency services and the legal system without fear. Our collective safety depends on a “care-first” model that respects the dignity and economic contributions of every resident.

How should public tax dollars be spent on education? Do you support property tax funding for charter schools? Should Indiana fund students’ tuition to attend private schools?

Public tax dollars belong in Fully Public Schools. As a 30-year educator at Indiana University, I have seen firsthand how stable funding directly correlates with student success. I do not support diverting property tax levies to charter schools or using public tuition for private institutions. The current “dual system” funnels nearly $1 billion away from the 90% of Hoosiers in neighborhood schools to subsidize private tuition for the wealthy. True accountability means that any school taking public money must be an “open-door” institution— no selective admissions and no “counseling out.” We must repeal the “dollar law” and the forced sharing of local property tax levies. Public funds must remain in districts that are democratically accountable to neighbors. Public schools are public goods, and the success of the next generation of Hoosiers is a win for everyone and deserves fully funded, public investment.