Get to know Greg Ballard, the former two-term Republican mayor of Indianapolis who is now running for Indiana Secretary of State as an independent. In a series of interviews, he recounts his childhood in Indianapolis, time in the Marines (including the first Gulf War), his underdog campaign for mayor, and how he handled the biggest crises he faced in office.
Ep 4: Indiana Secretary of State - Greg Ballard's Independent Run
Indiana's secretary of state race brought Greg Ballard back to politics with a plan for more competitive November elections. The former Indianapolis mayor explains why he is running as an independent and how he hopes the Lincoln Party can open a path for other candidates. He discusses collecting 37,000 signatures, spending more than $700,000 to get on the ballot and his argument that voters need more choices beyond the two major parties.
Ballard also revisits the Super Bowl Village, the BlueIndy electric car-sharing program and his opposition to Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He describes returning from Florida as conventions threatened to leave Indianapolis, challenging fellow Republicans and delivering his message that "Indy welcomes all." He calls the controversy the toughest 10 days of his administration.
On BlueIndy, he explains why his Gulf War service shaped his push for electric vehicles and defends the city's investment in underground charging infrastructure. He also discusses the exhaustion that led him to forgo a third term as mayor.
His priorities for secretary of state include an office independent of partisan campaigning, public access to contracts and a detailed voters guide tailored to each precinct. He pledges not to endorse, raise money for or donate to other candidates while in office. The conversation closes with a story about taking his daughter to vote and why he refused to let her leave the line.
7 Sept 2026
Ep 3: Indianapolis Under Greg Ballard - Potholes, Sewers and the Super Bowl
Indianapolis cut pothole repair times from 11 days to two or three, Greg Ballard says. The fix started with a call to Eli Lilly. The city's former two-term mayor explains how Six Sigma changed basic services, including response times for broken garbage cans he says fell from six months to two days.
Ballard recalls his 2007 upset over Bart Peterson, an election night without a prepared victory speech and the 200 people who helped with his transition. He credits first chief of staff Paul Okeson with teaching him how to be mayor and explains why he hired Democrats as well as Republicans.
He also describes challenging the Environmental Protection Agency over sewer improvements, crediting public works director Dave Sherman with a redesign he says saved ratepayers more than $1 billion. Ballard explains how transferring water and wastewater utilities to Citizens Energy Group helped fund RebuildIndy, including roads, sidewalks, trails and 14 miles of alleys.
The conversation covers police performance evaluations, changes to promotions and Ballard's insistence that someone be directly responsible for public safety. He closes with the Super Bowl bid, the work of host committee chairman Mark Miles and CEO Allison Melangton, and the $150 million in Near Eastside investment tied to the game's legacy project. For Ballard, hosting the game had to leave something behind for the city.
7 Sept 2026
Ep 2: Greg Ballard's 2007 Upset - From Marine to Indianapolis Mayor
Greg Ballard borrowed $10,000 to run for Indianapolis mayor against an opponent with $4 million. He won anyway.
The former two-term mayor and retired Marine lieutenant colonel talks with Meet Greg Ballard host Nathan Gotsch about his Gulf War service and the 2007 election that few people expected him to win. He recalls leaving his wife and young children for deployment, working in a logistics battalion under Iraqi artillery fire and staying in Saudi Arabia for months after the ground war ended to help ship equipment home.
Ballard also explains why he left the Marine Corps after 23 years to give his children a stable high school experience in Indianapolis. Back home, private-sector work gave way to teaching, writing a leadership book and an unexpected suggestion from two acquaintances: Run for mayor.
His account of the campaign includes nearly dropping out before the primary, borrowing money to cover a $9,500 party slating fee and abandoning unsuccessful fundraising calls in favor of neighborhood meetings. With Democrat Bart Peterson seeking a third term, Ballard describes the property tax backlash, four debates and an Indianapolis Star endorsement he says galvanized veterans against the incumbent.
He also recalls filming a commercial in his basement, getting it on television with five days to go and hearing Democrats quietly promise him their votes. The conversation follows a political newcomer learning how his party operated while trying to prove he could run the city.
17 Aug 2026
Ep 1: Greg Ballard: Indianapolis Roots and Marine Corps Leadership
Greg Ballard grew up in a crowded Indianapolis home, struggled through six years at Indiana University Bloomington and found direction only after walking into a military recruiting office.
The former two-term mayor of Indianapolis traces a childhood shaped by four brothers, family secrets, his father's severe rheumatoid arthritis and his father's years working at Eli Lilly and Company. Ballard recalls earning a full academic scholarship to Cathedral High School, hitchhiking home from school, living with a broken front tooth for years and arriving at college unprepared for the freedom he suddenly had.
At Indiana University Bloomington, Ballard started on a pre-med track before eventually majoring in economics. With withdrawals, incompletes and no clear plan, he wandered into a recruiting station expecting to speak with other military branches. Instead, a Marine recruiter convinced him to finish his degree and return as an officer candidate.
Ballard describes the shock of Officer Candidates School at Quantico, where 110 of roughly 200 candidates finished. He also recounts the leadership lesson that changed how he thought about responsibility: as a squad leader, he was no longer judged only by his own performance, but by what his people were doing.
The conversation follows his early assignments in transportation, his move into logistics after serving as an aide-de-camp to a general, and the wider view of the U.S. Marine Corps that came with the job. Ballard also talks about meeting Winnie in Southern California, their understated decision to marry over a conversation at Wendy's, and starting a family while his military career continued.
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