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In his two terms as mayor of Indianapolis, Stephen Goldsmith earned a national reputation as an innovative, transformative leader. So much so that when the mayor of America’s largest city needed an innovative thinker to streamline and modernize New York’s vast bureaucracy, he knew whom to call.
“I think we found someone who perhaps better than anyone else in the nation understands the power and potential of innovation,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in 2010 in announcing that he had appointed Goldsmith as deputy mayor.
Bloomberg was hardly the first local government leader to appeal to Goldsmith for help. Throughout Goldsmith’s eight years as Indy’s mayor, it was common for community leaders from across the United States and even outside the country to make the trek to Indianapolis to see for themselves how the city had injected competition into government services, how public-private partnerships were transforming downtown and how spending could be cut and taxes reduced even as services improved.
“He’s a superstar in every respect,” Bloomberg said of Goldsmith.
As co-chairs of the inaugural Goldsmith Prize for Innovation in Local Government, we are now looking for today’s superstars—those communities across Indiana that are driving innovative changes to improve Hoosiers’ quality of life.
Sagamore Institute, a solution-oriented think tank based in Indianapolis, announced the launch of the Goldsmith Prize on April 30.
Why promote and recognize innovation in local government? Sagamore President Teresa Lubbers notes the rapid economic, technological, demographic and social changes that will make the challenges of governing even more daunting for local leaders in the years ahead.
In 2024, Sagamore published “Workforce 2040: Pathways to Prosperity,” which explored the evolving workforce and education obstacles that Indiana’s business, academic and government leaders must overcome to secure our state’s future.
Researched and written in conjunction with Sagamore’s partners in economic development, business and education, “Workforce 2040” made clear that sticking with the status quo will mean diminished opportunities and less prosperity for Hoosiers and our communities. Innovative approaches to economic development, workforce training, education, community redevelopment, and health and demographic obstacles are thus essential for Indiana’s communities to thrive.
We’re confident that leaders throughout Indiana have not only undertaken innovative solutions to old problems but also are achieving outstanding results—the kind that strengthen families, neighborhoods and entire communities.
And we want to recognize, encourage and assist those communities and their leaders. Applications for the Goldsmith Prize will be accepted until July 31. Every city and town in Indiana is eligible to apply.
In August, leaders from the three communities selected as finalists will give a presentation to a panel of leaders in government, the business sector and nonprofit organizations. The winning community will be announced during the AIM Ideas Summit in October.
As Goldsmith has noted, innovation and change require champions. We want to honor those champions in Indiana—to recognize the progress that already has been made in our cities and towns and to encourage those striving to improve our communities as we move forward.
Just as Stephen Goldsmith boldly drove change in Indiana’s capital city in the 1990s, we need community leaders who are boldly steering progress throughout our state today.
To learn more about the Goldsmith Prize and to access the application, visit goldsmithprize.com.•
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Susan Brooks, a former congresswoman, served as deputy mayor of Indianapolis under Mayor Stephen Goldsmith. Yonkman is president of Bloomington-based Cook Group and Cook Medical.
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