Councilor Jesse Brown slams Democratic caucus’ choice for council president

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis City-County Council Democrat is reacting to the caucus’s picks for council leadership in 2026.

On Monday morning, the caucus announced it’s endorsing the current majority leader, Councilor Maggie Lewis, to replace Vop Osili as the council president. It’s also picking John Barth as vice president and Jared Evans as majority leader.

Earlier this month, Osili announced he would not be seeking reelection. Mirror Indy reports that he is one of several Democrats rumored to be eyeing a potential run for mayor.

In a statement to News 8 on Tuesday, District 13 Councilor Jesse Brown criticized Lewis’s vote as part of the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance:

“Indiana Open Door Law requires decisions to be made in front of the public at a meeting that provides public notice ahead of time. Antidemocratic supermajority caucuses – Republicans at the Statehouse as well as Democrats on the City-County Council – abuse an exception to the state Open Door Law in order to cut taxpayers and constituents totally out of the deci...