Kate Sweeny Bell, the chairwoman of the Marion County Democratic Party, is stepping down.
Bell sent out the following e-mail Monday afternoon…
Fellow Democrat,
Early this year, I stated publicly that if I were selected as our Democratic candidate to be the next Marion County Clerk, it would be my intention to run like hell through the finish line in November. I also made clear that I would not let my obligations as a candidate, or my responsibilities as an elected official, interfere with the important business of electing other Democrats as your Marion County Democratic Party Chair.
Since then, we have felt seismic shifts as the United States Supreme Court and the Republican Party have carried out a relentless war against hard-fought rights that we as Democrats have rightfully championed.
The result is that this year’s election in November may be one of the most significant in our nation’s history. I passionately believe that the Marion County Democratic Party must be single-minded in ensuring we help our candidates win up and down the ballot in a few short months. As a candidate this year facing a strong challenge in the general election, I want to ensure that our Party heads into the fall with a full head of steam.
It is for that reason, and with a heavy heart, that I submitted my resignation as County Chair to the Indiana Democratic Party a short time ago.
This bittersweet decision comes after five years of service to the Marion County Democratic Party, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. Together, we have defended every single countywide office from Republican challenge, expanded our presence on many township boards, and in 2019 we saw Mayor Joe Hogsett and our City-County Council coordinated campaign achieve the highest mayoral vote total and largest Council majority in the modern era.
And importantly, we did all of this while doubling the number of women on the Council, improving the diversity of our countywide tickets, and convening the most diverse Central Committee in the Party’s history.
I take great pride in these achievements, and I am more confident than ever that the future of the Marion County Democratic Party is bright as we lead our capital city – and the state – forward in the march toward progress.
Above all else, I am grateful for the trust you placed in me across two elections as your County Chair. None of the victories of the last five years would have been possible without a true team effort, and I am looking forward to talking with you in the coming weeks to offer my sincere thanks for your friendship, partnership, and loyalty to our Party.
Democratically Yours,
Kate Sweeney Bell
Bell was at the center of a controversy earlier this year. Arguing she has treated Black and Latinos unfairly, several Marion County Black Democrats called on Chairwoman Kate Sweeny Bell to resign. And during session, State Representative Cherish Pryor of Indianapolis introduced an amendment to an election bill that prohibited a County Chair from either holding a public office or being a candidate for a local office.
Sources tell Indy Politics that current Marion County Clerk Myla Elridge is planning to run for the job.
