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Some people run for elective office because they want to be something. Some run because they have an agenda to push. But some, like Dean Jessup, run because they want to serve others. Make a difference. Build and improve their communities. Dean chose to settle in Lawrence 30 years ago because he longed to live in a place with small-town charm but big-city amenities. He liked the location; he loved the schools; he felt comfortable here. But he grew concerned as he watched his beloved community stagnate for nearly a decade; he knew

there was truth to the adage “if you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Dean particularly worried that city government’s laissez faire attitude would result in Lawrence’s demise. He feared that Indianapolis would take steps to swallow Lawrence up and eliminate it as one of the four cities excluded when Indianapolis and Marion County adopted a unified government structure in 1969. If Lawrence disappeared, he worried, fewer police officers would patrol the neighborhoods and fewer fire stations would be located nearby, imperiling families and businesses. What’s more, Lawrence’s self-identity would be lost, its charm diminished, its sense of community demolished. Dean wasn’t about to let that happen. He became involved in public service as a member of the Lawrence Fire Merit Commission and the Lawrence Community Development Corp. When he sought the mayor’s office in 2011, he wanted to shore up Lawrence’s autonomy, strengthen its economy and build community spirit. He offered the voters his leadership ability, his experience as a small-business owner, his involvement as an active volunteer, his abundant people skills and his love of the diverse community that is Lawrence. The people of Lawrence elected Dean that November and he was sworn in to office Jan. 2, 2012. Since then, his initiative, creativity, clear vision and commitment have strengthened Lawrence and set it on an upward trajectory.

Dean Jessup believes the sky’s the limit for Lawrence. He is seeking a second term, which will take us almost to 2020, so that he can expand on his successes and undertake still more creative initiatives that will enable Lawrence to progress. His vision for 2020, indeed, is 20/20. And the mantra that inspires his work is…


Since taking office, Mayor Jessup has: ü Reversed a $2 million deficit that he inherited and earned an increase in the

city’s crucial Standard and Poor’s rating to ‘A’. ü Set a tone that caused businesses to create

600 jobs in 2014. ü Created an atmosphere that encouraged

Doctors Express, Bloomerang, David Weekley Homes and Yeager Properties to construct new, attractive buildings that raise Lawrence’s profile and increase its beauty. Little Raymond’s Print Shop, Blue Ribbon Transport and Art’s Skillet took over existing buildings and are growing and creating jobs in Lawrence.

ü Protected 4,500 jobs at the Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center by working with U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks and Andre Carson and others in the Indiana delegation in Washington D.C. when the Defense Finance and Accounting Service considered moving its operations away from Lawrence.

ü Installed a sidewalk at 42nd Street and Post Road so that residents no longer had to walk in the busy street or in a muddy ditch. ü Worked with the Redevelopment Commission to offer façade grants for existing buildings to improve their appearances and increase property values for all neighbors. ü Provided top-notch basic services of trash collection and snow removal and oversaw the strategic

investment into utilities equipment that keeps Lawrence’s water safe and its sewers functioning well while saving money and protecting utilities workers.

ü Ensured that Lawrence residents and businesses are safe by enlarging the number of Lawrence police officers to an all-time high and proposing raises for them and other

Together, we make Lawrence

strong.

Let me tell you: there is reason

today to dream. And to hope. And to plan.


safety personnel. ü Installed CodeRED so residents and businesses are alerted immediately of

dangers and other important news. ü Arranged to tear down eyesores that blighted their vicinities and posed

dangerous situations, including three burned-out houses on Franklin Road, the burned-out AAA building, six houses in various neighborhoods and the former Village Pantry at Sunnyside Road and Pendleton Pike.

ü Fought to make sure Lawrence will get its due regarding investments in the storm water system and parks. ü Pursued grants and looked for unclaimed money that rightfully belongs to Lawrence so that important projects can be undertaken. ü Visited more than 130 Lawrence businesses and schools to hear what is on the minds of owners and educators as part of the Work, Educate and Advance Lawrence series. ü Increased community spirit by creating the Fridays at the Fort free concert series. ü Ensured that residents and business

people know what is happening in their city by recreating the city’s website; creating a city Facebook page; supporting the Lawrence Utilities’ newsletter, Lawrence Lift; and regularly issuing news releases that are posted on the city website.

ü Set a tone of cooperation and commitment with other elected officials and nonprofit partners, such as the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, the Lawrence Community Development Corp. and the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

ü Sought to work together with others under the belief that, together, we make Lawrence strong.

Here in Lawrence, cooperation and

commitment have resulted in economic-

development successes.


Mayor Jessup is asking for another term, during which he will: Connect ü By building 10-foot-wide trails along a number of streets, including 56th

Street, Franklin Road, Boy Scout Road, Richardt Avenue and Post Road, and creating unprecedented connectivity within the city and with Indianapolis’s expansive trail system. Mayor Jessup wants to enable Lawrence residents and visitors – walkers, runners, wheelchair users, skaters and cyclists – to travel a continuous multi-use trail from Geist Reservoir on Lawrence’s far northeast side to downtown Indianapolis, a distance of nearly 20 miles, and then throughout Marion County, including its cultural trail, and into Hamilton County via the Monon Trail.

ü By establishing a bike-share program within the city.

Honor ü By building the Blue Star Cultural Trail in the

Fort Benjamin Harrison Village District. This trail, a 10-foot-wide, multi-modal pathway with full ADA accessibility, will memorialize Fort Benjamin Harrison and provide users with a phone app that recognizes significant historical sites on the fort.

ü By working with a local nonprofit to install an open-air Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame connected to the cultural trail.

Invite ü By creating a beautiful and artistic gateway

that alerts travelers that they are entering the city of Lawrence.

ü By working with organizations such as Partnerships for Lawrence, which recently completed a strategic plan, and garden clubs to beautify our city.

You might say, in Lawrence, trails

‘R’ us.


ü By adding new features to Lawrence’s 11 city parks, including a water park, swimming pool and a boardwalk that spans wetlands in the newest park, Bragdon Wetlands Park.

ü By enhancing and expanding community events, including Fridays at the Fort, for free music and fun.

Protect ü By maintaining the largest police force Lawrence has ever fielded.

ü By supporting all public-safety personnel, whose job is to protect Lawrence residents and visitors.

ü By continuing the project to reconfigure Franklin Road from the CSX railroad tracks to Pendleton Pike, thereby reducing traffic accidents and providing a safe place for pedestrians and cyclists.

ü By pursuing a resolution to Lawrence’s storm water issues that ensures Lawrence gets it due and erosion and flooding problems are addressed.

ü By installing safety features on 56h Street in the vicinity of Lawrence Central High School, including HAWK beacons, audible beacons for visually impaired people, hash crosswalks, demarcated walking zones, curb cuts for wheelchair users and safety barriers.

ü By installing Emergency Vehicle Preemption systems with new and upgraded traffic signals at many major intersections.

ü By using best management practices whenever possible regarding storm water, such as rain gardens and bio-swales, to improve water quality and reduce runoff into Fall Creek.

ü By engaging in a guaranteed energy savings program that will make city buildings more energy-efficient, provide energy-efficient LED streets; convert all city police cars to run more cleanly and efficiently; and undertake other measures to save money and reduce energy consumption.

ü By welcoming all people to Lawrence, regardless of their age, sex, race, creed or sexual orientation.


Partner ü By launching Lawrence on the cutting edge of the Maker Movement.

Mayor Jessup envisions partnering with the Lawrence Community Development Corp. and the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to develop a Maker Place to anchor Franklin Road redevelopment and to provide a location for technological innovators and applied artisans to cluster in Lawrence. This Maker Place will provide them space to make their wares and, through a partnership with the Lawrence Metropolitan School District and its McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology, share their wisdom with young people, who in turn can use their technological skills and their ingenuity on real-world applications.

ü By supporting the Indianapolis Public Library’s plan to locate a second branch in Lawrence.

ü By expanding the strong partnership the city has with the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, the Lawrence Community Development Corp. and other organizations that share his goal of making Lawrence stronger.

ü By working with others, including members of the Lawrence Common Council, under his unshakeable belief that, together, we make Lawrence strong.

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