Conflicts of interest
Investigation finds Indianapolis awarded over $6 million in no-bid contracts to Mayor Hogsett's donors and allies, at odds with his own competitive-bidding pledge
Confidence: Corroborated · 3 sourcesCity of Indianapolis · Sep 22, 2026
Subject of this story
Joe Hogsett, Mayor of Indianapolis
What happened
A joint Mirror Indy/IndyStar investigation (the 'Mr. Clean' series) found the city and agencies under Mayor Joe Hogsett awarded more than $6 million in no-bid contracts to campaign donors and allies, including Old City Hall-related contracts worth up to $1.5 million to people with close ties to Hogsett, despite his 2015 pledge to increase competitive bidding 'wherever feasible.' City-County Council Democrats introduced a one-year post-employment cooling-off period ordinance on June 25, 2026 in response. Hogsett's office disputed that the contracts were improper, saying they follow established administrative and legal review.
Sources (3)
Mirror IndyAt least four people with close ties to Hogsett... worked on contracts related to Old City Hall... awarded without a competitive bidding process.
Mirror IndyCouncil Democrats formally proposed the cooling-off period measure on June 25, 2026.
KGW News (via Yahoo syndication)Spokesperson Aliya Wishner: contracts 'are awarded through established administrative and legal processes involving professional staff and are never awarded based on campaign support.'
Response
Joe Hogsett
Statement given
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.