Dear Indy,
Today’s lead article comes from me and Kaitlin Lange, the government and politics editor at IndyStar.
Here’s how it begins:
On the campaign trail for governor, former Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers talks about his experience as a business leader who can grow Indiana’s economy. After all, he is the founder and CEO of Buckingham Companies, which boasts of managing more than $3 billion in real estate with hundreds of employees across nine states.
But back home in Indianapolis, Chambers’ real estate company did not follow through on its end of a landmark agreement made with the city — missing a deadline to pay back the city not just once, but twice.
It stems from a deal struck during the administration of former Republican Mayor Greg Ballard. In 2011, the city agreed to issue nearly $100 million in bonds and then immediately loan the $86 million in proceeds to Chambers’ company to create CityWay on the southeast side of downtown.
Now that it’s built, the first phase of the $156 million development contains a high-end hotel known as the Alexander, where guests are treated to art collections, and luxury apartments that can cost as much as $3,700 per month.
To get here, Chambers’ company counted on Marion County taxpayers to bear the risk of the investment thanks to what experts say is an unusually generous deal. In addition to using $31 million in state and local taxes to pay for nearly half of the project’s debt payments so far, records show, the developer also received a long leash from the city: It had 10 years to obtain private financing to repay the remaining debt to the city.
That deadline, though, was in 2021. Chambers’ company failed to meet it, leading the administration of Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett and the City-County Council to come up with a new plan. They extended the deadline to December 2023.
New reporting by Mirror Indy and IndyStar reveals that the second deadline also came and went without Chambers’ company meeting the terms.
As a result, Chambers’ company still owes the city of Indianapolis about $69 million. That’s according to documents obtained by Mirror Indy and IndyStar in public records requests.
Meanwhile, campaign finance records show that Chambers has cut at least $9.6 million in checks to his campaign on his largely self-financed run for governor in the competitive Republican primary.
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In other news
We’re also excited to share with you the inspiring story of Daniel Lynch. As a baby, he survived hot oil burns and is now working to fulfill his dream of helping others.
Here’s how the article from westside reporter Enrique Saenz begins:
The way emergency medical technician Daniel Lynch sees it, it’s his job to make people’s worst days better.
EMTs provide on-the-spot first aid to people injured in car crashes, fires and similar situations and then take them to hospitals for more thorough care when necessary.
Fresh out of EMT training, the 19-year-old has been with the Decatur Township Fire Department for nearly two months and is eager to help Hoosiers the way they once helped him.
Lynch lives in Camby but was born in Kenya. When he was 6 months old he suffered burns to his body that were so severe he had to be brought to the U.S. for life-saving treatment.
Here, in the hands of Indiana University doctors and nurses, Lynch came back from the brink of death and began a journey to become an American citizen and thrive in his adopted country.
He has no memory of the events that brought him here as an infant, but still bears the scars.
“I’ve always had help around me no matter what my age,” Lynch said. “This is kind of wanting to give back to those kind-hearted people even though I may not help them personally. It’s about helping the community who helped me so much.”
What’s going on around the city
- Saturday, April 27: Indy Design Week hosts the 2024 Design & Art Market from noon to 6 p.m. at the Stutz Building, 1060 N. Capitol Ave. In collaboration with Six Ways Market, the event will feature local artists, vendors and food. The event is free, but there is a suggested donation of $5 to Indy Design Week.
- Saturday, April 27: Join the Crown Hill Foundation Director of Historic Preservation Carrie Tauscher for a tree and tombstone tour of the cemetery, 700 W. 38th St. Starting at 2 p.m., you can learn more about the trees planted throughout the largest cemetery in Indiana, as well as the stories of some of the folks buried there. $10.
- Tuesday, April 30: Playwright Katori Hall’s “TINA – The Tina Turner Musical” comes to Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., at 7:30. The show includes many of the songstress’ hits while sharing the story of her career and the numerous barriers she had to break through to become known as The Queen of Rock’n’Roll. Tickets start at $52.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
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What else we’re reading today
- Chalkbeat Indiana: IPS will create a task force in response to the video that appeared to show a teacher encouraging attacks on a 7-year-old student.
- Indianapolis Business Journal: The future of the Tenant Advocacy Project is uncertain as its primary source of funding — federal COVID-19 dollars — is set to run out this year.
- The Hill: In a win for labor, the Federal Trade Commission passed a new rule that will soon ban noncompete agreements. Existing agreements, which affect roughly one in five American workers, also will be tossed. Pro-business groups pledged to fight the rule with a lawsuit.
Arts and Culture
Musicians have concert halls and bars. Visual artists have gallery spaces, sometimes coffee shops. Actors have theater and television, as dancers do, too. And don’t forget about YouTube, where even the most eccentric of creators can find an audience.
Writers, yes, we have books, zines and journals (and newsletters). But we tend to be a little more demanding. We want people’s attention and time. We want commitment — please find a comfy spot and read our work, which may be one to 800 pages.
And while print is the dream, online publications make it possible even for the most curmudgeonly basement writer to reach the eyes of the wider world.
That’s where Indy’s indie publishers come in, the people committed to reading all the stories sometimes no one has read before, in search of what is good, the next big thing with the right words we can fall in love with.
Read about Indy’s independent publishers here.
— Jennifer Delgadillo, arts and culture editor
Want to explore more of our city’s vibrancy? Find more arts and culture coverage here.
Reflections
That’s it for today. See you tomorrow.
Ryan
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at ryan.martin@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.