Marion County Democrats receive criticism for lack of diversity in candidates – WISH-TV |

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A group of community leaders say the process of endorsing candidates for office in the Marion County Democratic Party is flawed and needs to be reformed.

The group, Clergy United for Democratic Reform, say the party isn’t diverse enough.

“We believe we need a county chair that is looking at the census data that has just come out and seen that, ‘hey, we’re a much more diverse city, so we need people at the top of that ticket,’” said the Rev. David Greene, the pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries.

The group wans the selecting precinct committee members to change. Many of those precinct committee members are handpicked by Kate Sweeney Bell, the Marion County Democratic Party chair.

One of the jobs of the committee members is to identify and recruit candidates for office. Sweeney Bell is the Marion County recorder, and is also running for Marion County clerk.

“We feel like that’s an egregious overreach, having so much power in one person, when there are thousands of Democrats in Marion County,” Greene said.

Greene and other community leaders are compiling a list of people they think should be the next county Democratic Party chair, and are submitting the list to Mayor Joe Hogsett, Marion County’s highest-elected Democrat.

“I think we are on a path to driving change, where in future years you’re going to see greater diversity within the ballot, that it will be much more inclusive of all individuals.”

A spokesperson for the Marion County Democratic Party did not return News 8 email and phone call requesting comment.

The party issued a news release after its convention Saturday:

“Sixteen of this year’s endorsed candidates are Black, including half of those candidates seeking open countywide office and two-thirds of those candidates seeking the office of township trustee. The 2022 Democratic Party ticket also includes its first openly gay county officer candidate.”