Democrats on the City-County Council have announced plans to elect Maggie Lewis as council president in 2026.
Lewis is set to replace Vop Osili, who announced earlier this month he would not seek another term as council president. Osili is rumored to be considering a run for mayor in 2027.
The Democratic caucus also plans to elect John Barth, a northside Democrat, as council vice president and Jared Evans, a westside Democrat, as majority leader at the council’s upcoming Jan. 5 meeting.
Lewis, a Democrat who represents parts of the northwest side, currently serves as majority leader, where she represents the interests of 18 Democrats on the 25-member council.
The 19th Democrat on the council, eastsider Jesse Brown, was expelled from the caucus earlier this year after he spoke critically about his colleagues’ support for charter schools.
Lewis recently served on the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, which is recommending the creation of an independent public education corporation to oversee facilities maintenance and transportation for schools within the boundaries of Indianapolis Public Schools, including charter schools. She also serves on the board of The Mind Trust, a charter-friendly group that hailed the ILEA recommendations as a major victory for the charter school movement.
The plan to take away power from elected school board members has attracted criticism from groups like MADVoters, the Greater Indianapolis NAACP and the Indianapolis Urban League.
In addition to her leadership role on council, Lewis is also the executive director of the nonprofit Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis.
Council plans newsletter, neighborhood meetings
Denise Herd, a spokesperson for council Democrats, said in an emailed statement that party leaders plan to launch a monthly newsletter focused on the council, with quarterly special editions highlighting different parts of the city.
“Additionally, plans are in progress to hold council committee meetings throughout the community and to strengthen the leadership structure by fostering teamwork and establishing a clear strategic direction, aiming to create a more responsive, efficient and community-oriented council,” Herd said.
This will be Lewis’s second stint as council president. She previously served in that capacity from 2012 until 2017, when she was defeated by Democrat Stephen Clay, whose six-week tenure was mired in controversy.
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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