INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 15, 2026) - Vop Osili announced today that he is running for Mayor of Indianapolis, grounding his campaign in service, community, and a commitment to every neighborhood.

A fifth-generation Indianapolis resident, his mother and grandparents instilled in him a belief that you always leave a place better than you found it. 

“The last time I saw my grandfather, on the morning he died, he was sweeping the sidewalk in front of our home in Haughville,” Osili said. “Not because anyone was watching, but because he had pride in our home and pride in our neighborhood. I’ve carried that memory through my life and my public service.”

Through his 14 years in public service, including his tenure as City-County Council President, he has brought a hands-on, problem-solving approach to city leadership, keeping neighborhoods at the center of decision-making. 

Osili has championed policies to expand affordable housing, partnered with state leaders to mitigate property tax spikes, and launched Indianapolis’ first city-funded microloan program to help entrepreneurs in lower-income neighborhoods start small businesses. He led the push to “Ban the Box” in city hiring, opening second-chance opportunities for people returning from incarceration, and helped guide Indianapolis through COVID-19 with timely investments that protected residents and kept small businesses afloat.

“This campaign isn’t about ideology or political labels,” Osili said. “It’s about whether city government is delivering the basics people rely on every day - safe and stable housing, public safety rooted in trust and humanity, and real economic opportunity.”

Osili is an architect who believes that what we build - our streets, our homes, our neighborhoods - reflects what we value, and his campaign takes a neighborhood-first approach grounded in a simple truth: people build neighborhoods, and neighborhoods build the city.

In the weeks ahead, Osili will host neighborhood town halls and community conversations across Indianapolis to engage residents directly and ensure the priorities of the campaign, and his administration, are shaped by the people it serves.

“Together, we can build an Indianapolis that works for every neighborhood and every family. This is our city, one where everyone will know that they belong.”

Watch our launch video here: