Putting Muncie First is about setting aside our political differences to come together and act in Muncie residents’ best interests by enacting people-focused policy, restoring infrastructure, championing local businesses, and having integrity in ethical governance. 

As your mayor, I will bring people together

The Democratic Party in Muncie is no longer fractured and disorganized. We are united and beginning a new era of open communication, transparency, and cooperation. The Democratic Party is now poised to meet the needs and expectations of Muncie residents through policies that create equity and works of value. Up and down the ballot this coming election, Democrats will be focused on Putting Muncie First.

The only way to govern effectively is to work together, as citizens of Muncie first and foremost, and solve our problems. We are friends, neighbors, and coworkers of the same community, and as your next mayor, I will lead us–all of us–to build our community’s bright future. 

So whether you are Republican or Democrat, if you want to solve the critical issues and improve Muncie, then I want to work with you. As John F. Kennedy said, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.” 

Below I’ve laid out some of the key points of my plan for Putting Muncie First.

Jeff Robinson with Sue Errington and Ana Quirk

My Plan

The needs of Muncie citizens will drive our public policy and the investments necessary to create a more viable and healthy community. 

As your next Mayor, I will ensure that the neighborhood strategies and policies–that we adopt through a wide array of community partnerships–are people-focused. I will proactively lean into the crisis that plagues those who suffer from addiction and their families and the neighborhoods that suffer from the realities of addiction. I will ensure that proactive code enforcement efforts are utilized to protect our community from blighted and abandoned buildings and nuisances that come from neglect of properties.

And I will develop strategies to address our housing shortage through collaboration with our neighborhood associations, the Muncie Land Bank, our community housing organizations, and developers who seek not to take but who want to be a part of viable solutions which will benefit our community for decades to come.

For too long our public policy has been reactionary due to a vacuum of planning that has been capitalized on by outside interests. As your next Mayor, my first priority will be to develop policies that prioritize you and your neighbors first and foremost. And in those areas where new partnerships are needed, they will be developed carefully for the benefit of our citizens. 

Central to our way of life is our personal safety and I’m committed to reintroducing a forward-thinking and results-producing community policing program.

We need to invest in our community. But we need to invest responsibly by taking care of our current assets and ensuring the basic services and infrastructure of our city government are functioning effectively.  

As mayor, I will focus on attainable improvements for existing residents and businesses that will build wealth for Muncie’s future. When it comes to new investments that require regional or national private partnerships, I’ll ensure that projects are focused on true community needs and expectations rather than one-size-fits-all solutions that often end up shortchanging community expectations. Simply put, investing in Muncie and its people will mean fair and beneficial results for all concerned participants.

To have healthy neighborhoods and economic development, we need to strategically invest in our quality of life and quality of place. As Muncie’s next Mayor, I will focus on two key aspects of this:  

  • First, we need to invest in new resources to provide proactive solutions to improve the quality of life in Muncie. Using data to inform our decision-making, we will connect neighborhoods to existing trails, expand bike lanes, invest in our public green spaces, and support our neighborhood association initiatives.  
  • Second, we need to make sure our existing resources are maintained and replaced when necessary. I will pursue strategies that enliven existing parks and city assets. I will invite citizen reviews and comments on significant public development. And I will focus on incremental improvements that minimize public risk and promote an inclusive community.

We need to Put Muncie First by investing our time and money into our Muncie-owned, Muncie-ran, and Muncie-loved local businesses.  

Local businesses are the backbone of our community. Local businesses bank locally and hire local accountants, attorneys, designers, contractors, and other professionals. They advertise in local media and source inventory from local firms. When you support our local businesses, you’re supporting hometown employment. This is why it is my priority to encourage new local businesses to open and incentivize existing local businesses to grow. 

The people of Muncie deserve a government they can trust. As mayor, I will create an ethical and equitable framework for decision-making in the city of Muncie through transparency, oversight, and reduced public silos.  

It’s vitally important that elected officials are connected to their constituents. When elected, I will hold monthly meetings, ahead of scheduled City Council meetings, to go over upcoming agendas and discuss any concerns people may have. My administration will be transparent and allow citizens, regardless of whether they can attend a meeting or not, to be as informed as they choose to be. 

As the next Mayor of Muncie, I will not engage in deceptive business practices that conceal information from the public or circumvent the City Council. I will serve the people of Muncie by being open to citizen feedback on all city projects and decisions–just as I have done as City Council President.  

Campaign Announcement