Marsiglio: City should rethink its approach to public safety, drugs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Democratic candidate for mayor said the city should decriminalize marijuana and expand unarmed crisis response teams.
Clif Marsiglio, a data analyst and community activist, said he decided to run for mayor of Indianapolis because he was disappointed by the politicians he has voted for in the past, including incumbent Mayor Joe Hogsett.
“It feels like the very people that should be on my side are the ones that are leaving the people most vulnerable behind,” he said, “and I can’t let this happen any longer.”
Marsiglio has called for the expansion of unarmed crisis response teams to handle mental health and substance abuse calls. He said the city needs more police officers but filling IMPD’s roughly 250 vacancies won’t solve the crime problem. Marsiglio said the use of a crisis response team for such calls would reduce the chances of a mental health crisis worsening due to the presence of an armed police officer and would free up officers to focus on more serious crimes. In addition, he said he would push the City-County Council to decriminalize marijuana in the city. Meanwhile, Marsiglio said the city needs to increase its use of federal partnerships, including with the ATF, to get guns off the streets.
On the topic of potholes, which he has called the official animal of Indianapolis, Marsiglio said city officials need to stop simply patching potholes with what he terms low-bid contractors and asphalt. He said repairs would hold up much better if crews strip affected sections of street down to their base layers and patch the whole section.
Asked what sets him apart in the primary, Marsiglio pointed to his work interacting with those in need and those in his community on a daily basis. He said that is the sort of leadership style he would bring to the mayor’s office.
The mayoral primary is set for May 2.
All INdiana Politics airs every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on WISH-TV.