Stephen Goldsmith
Encyclopedia
Stephen "Steve" Goldsmith (born December 12, 1946) is the former mayor of Indianapolis and most recently served as the Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations, stepping down effective August 4, 2011 after a domestic violence arrest. He is also the Daniel Paul Professor of Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
.
. He is a graduate of Wabash College
and the University of Michigan Law School
. Goldmsith is an Eagle Scout
and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
.
made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Indiana, calling upon Goldsmith to be his running mate. Mutz and Goldsmith lost to the Democratic ticket of Evan Bayh
and Frank O'Bannon
.
banner for Mayor, defeating his Democratic
opponent Louis Mahern by a clear majority.
Goldsmith came to office with a pledge to rebuild long-neglected neighborhoods and provide better city services at lower costs. He put city services out for bid to save money and attacked the bricks-and-mortar problems with the highly touted Building Better Neighborhoods program. By the end of his second term Mayor Goldsmith had presided over $1.5 billion in new or rehabilitated parks, streets, sidewalks and sewers, while reducing the tax rate four times.
Goldsmith is perhaps best known for earning a national reputation for innovations in government as he reduced the city’s bureaucracy, taxes, and counter-productive regulations, all while identifying more than $400 million in savings, which he then reinvested in a transformation of downtown Indianapolis and its urban neighborhoods.
Goldsmith was a leading force in the rebirth of downtown Indianapolis. While Circle Centre Mall began under Hudnut, it was Goldsmith who made it a reality in 1995. With the mall came myriad restaurant, bar and retail openings nearby as the number of Downtown visitors exploded. Then came the $183 million Conseco Fieldhouse
, a $50 million remodeling of the Indiana Convention Center, the NCAA headquarters, Anthem's 2,500-worker offices, Emmis Broadcasting's offices on Monument Circle and Union Station
's renovation.
Crowning development efforts was Eli Lilly and Co.'s 1999 announcement of a planned $1 billion, 7,500-worker expansion which had been sweetened by more than $100 million in city-offered tax breaks. In a study on the remaking of downtown, Indiana University Professor Mark Rosentraub concluded that Goldsmith and his predecessors, mayors William H. Hudnut III
and Richard Lugar, were able to attract more than $3 billion in new investment to the city's core over a 25 year period.
Goldsmith served as Mayor of Indianapolis for two terms from 1992 to 2000.
. O'Bannon defeated Goldsmith 52% to 47%. Despite being Mayor of Indianapolis, Goldsmith failed to win Marion County, which includes Indianapolis. O'Bannon overcame an early deficit in the polls by focusing on his long history of public service, his true Indiana roots and mismanagement of the city of Indianapolis while Goldsmith was Mayor. The Goldsmith campaign was unable to successfully rebut "allegations of influence peddling" and accusations that cuts in spending had undermined the city's ability to process sewage. In addition, "polls also showed that his negative campaign ads were unpopular with voters."
in the 2000 campaign and then served as Special Advisor to President Bush on faith-based and not-for-profit initiatives. He was appointed chair of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for National and Community Service
in 2001, a position he still holds.
announced he would appoint Goldsmith to become Deputy Mayor of Operations, a position he held until August 4, 2011. He had responsibility for the city’s Police, Fire and Transportation departments in his 14-month period of service. The New York Times suggested that his "tumultuous" "short tenure was complicated by controversies, most notably after the city’s slow response to a crippling snowstorm in December", an event to which Goldsmith responded from his weekend town-house home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.. It was disclosed on Sep. 1, 2011 that he had been arrested after an altercation with his wife just days before his resignation and had spent two nights in a Washington jail. Although charges were not filed because Mrs. Goldsmith did not want to press charges, and though the Goldsmiths contested the police report, Mayor Bloomberg came under criticism for not publicizing the reason for the forced resignation from other elected city officials and at least one local advocate for laws protecting victims of domestic abuse.
He also was the Chairman Emeritus of the Manhattan Institute
's (a policy research think tank) Center for Civic Innovation.
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Early life and career
Goldmsith was born on December 12, 1946, in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. He is a graduate of Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
and the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
. Goldmsith is an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America . It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years after attaining the level of Eagle Scout...
.
Marion County Prosecutor
In 1978, Goldsmith began his political career by defeating Democratic Judge Andrew Jacobs Sr. in the race for Marion County Prosecutor. Goldsmith continued to serve in this capacity for 12 years (1979–1991), when the opportunity to run for Mayor of Indianapolis presented itself.Race for Lieutenant Governor
In 1988, John MutzJohn Mutz
John Massie Mutz is an American business leader and politician who served as Indiana Lieutenant Governor, Republican candidate for Governor and president of Lilly Endowment, one of America's largest family foundations....
made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Indiana, calling upon Goldsmith to be his running mate. Mutz and Goldsmith lost to the Democratic ticket of Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
and Frank O'Bannon
Frank O'Bannon
Frank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
.
Mayor of Indianapolis
In 1991, Goldsmith ran under the RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
banner for Mayor, defeating his Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent Louis Mahern by a clear majority.
Goldsmith came to office with a pledge to rebuild long-neglected neighborhoods and provide better city services at lower costs. He put city services out for bid to save money and attacked the bricks-and-mortar problems with the highly touted Building Better Neighborhoods program. By the end of his second term Mayor Goldsmith had presided over $1.5 billion in new or rehabilitated parks, streets, sidewalks and sewers, while reducing the tax rate four times.
Goldsmith is perhaps best known for earning a national reputation for innovations in government as he reduced the city’s bureaucracy, taxes, and counter-productive regulations, all while identifying more than $400 million in savings, which he then reinvested in a transformation of downtown Indianapolis and its urban neighborhoods.
Goldsmith was a leading force in the rebirth of downtown Indianapolis. While Circle Centre Mall began under Hudnut, it was Goldsmith who made it a reality in 1995. With the mall came myriad restaurant, bar and retail openings nearby as the number of Downtown visitors exploded. Then came the $183 million Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
, a $50 million remodeling of the Indiana Convention Center, the NCAA headquarters, Anthem's 2,500-worker offices, Emmis Broadcasting's offices on Monument Circle and Union Station
Union Station (Indianapolis)
The Indianapolis Union Station was the first union station in the world, opening on September 20, 1853, by the Indianapolis Union Railway within the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana at 39 Jackson Place...
's renovation.
Crowning development efforts was Eli Lilly and Co.'s 1999 announcement of a planned $1 billion, 7,500-worker expansion which had been sweetened by more than $100 million in city-offered tax breaks. In a study on the remaking of downtown, Indiana University Professor Mark Rosentraub concluded that Goldsmith and his predecessors, mayors William H. Hudnut III
William H. Hudnut III
William Herbert Hudnut III was the mayor of Indianapolis from 1976 to 1992. A Republican, his four terms made him the city's longest serving mayor. He previously represented the Indianapolis area in Congress from 1973 to 1975 but was defeated in his race for a second term.-Early life and...
and Richard Lugar, were able to attract more than $3 billion in new investment to the city's core over a 25 year period.
Goldsmith served as Mayor of Indianapolis for two terms from 1992 to 2000.
Bid for Indiana Governor
Goldsmith was the Republican candidate for Governor of Indiana in 1996 against Lieutenant Governor Frank O'BannonFrank O'Bannon
Frank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
. O'Bannon defeated Goldsmith 52% to 47%. Despite being Mayor of Indianapolis, Goldsmith failed to win Marion County, which includes Indianapolis. O'Bannon overcame an early deficit in the polls by focusing on his long history of public service, his true Indiana roots and mismanagement of the city of Indianapolis while Goldsmith was Mayor. The Goldsmith campaign was unable to successfully rebut "allegations of influence peddling" and accusations that cuts in spending had undermined the city's ability to process sewage. In addition, "polls also showed that his negative campaign ads were unpopular with voters."
Chief domestic policy advisor
Goldsmith was chief domestic policy advisor to President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in the 2000 campaign and then served as Special Advisor to President Bush on faith-based and not-for-profit initiatives. He was appointed chair of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for National and Community Service
Corporation For National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and other national service initiatives...
in 2001, a position he still holds.
Deputy Mayor of New York
On April 30, 2010, New York City Mayor Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
announced he would appoint Goldsmith to become Deputy Mayor of Operations, a position he held until August 4, 2011. He had responsibility for the city’s Police, Fire and Transportation departments in his 14-month period of service. The New York Times suggested that his "tumultuous" "short tenure was complicated by controversies, most notably after the city’s slow response to a crippling snowstorm in December", an event to which Goldsmith responded from his weekend town-house home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.. It was disclosed on Sep. 1, 2011 that he had been arrested after an altercation with his wife just days before his resignation and had spent two nights in a Washington jail. Although charges were not filed because Mrs. Goldsmith did not want to press charges, and though the Goldsmiths contested the police report, Mayor Bloomberg came under criticism for not publicizing the reason for the forced resignation from other elected city officials and at least one local advocate for laws protecting victims of domestic abuse.
Private sector
Goldsmith was a Partner of Knowledge Universe, which invests in internet-oriented education companies, day care and childhood learning companies, and B2B companies, principally in business and human resources consulting and online training.He also was the Chairman Emeritus of the Manhattan Institute
Manhattan Institute
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J...
's (a policy research think tank) Center for Civic Innovation.
Electoral history
Publications
In addition to contributing to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Times, and Wall Street Journal, Goldsmith has written several books on government such as:- The Power of Social Innovation, Jossey Bass, 2010,
- Governing By Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector: Brookings Institution. 2004.
- Putting Faith In Neighborhoods: Making Cities Work Through Grassroots Citizenship: Hudson Institute. 2002.
- The Entrepreneurial City: A How-To Handbook for Urban Innovators. Editor, Manhattan Institute. 1999.
- The Twenty-First Century City Resurrecting Urban America: Regnery 1997