What do Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett and Manual student have in common?
Jose Bravo was dressed neatly in a suit as he rode up the elevator to the 25th floor of the City-County Building. The 17-year-old was about to meet Mayor Joe Hogsett, and he wasn't sure what to expect.
No need to worry. The incoming senior at Manual High School and the mayor hit it off immediately. They bonded over a shared love of lifeguarding, football and Netflix.
"I was nervous before this, but he's like a friend," Bravo said. "We're a lot alike."
The teen is the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis youth of the year, and Hogsett was serving as a mentor for the day. The same thing was supposed to be happening across the city for 200 other teens, but the push for volunteers for this year's Take a Boy/Girl to Work Day came up significantly short, said club director Rick Whitten.
Hogsett agreed to keep his commitment to host Bravo at his office Wednesday as a way to encourage others to step up to volunteer. A new date for the citywide initiative has not been set.
"If more people would take the time to mentor young people in our city, I don't think there's any question that would be transformative," Hogsett said. "I think our community would be invaluably enriched. Jose is the mentor of tomorrow."
After a tour of the city-county offices, Bravo and Hogsett sat down to a lunch of sandwiches and chips in the mayor's conference room. They talked about college, family and how the Boys & Girls Club shaped them.
Bravo has been a member of the Keenan-Stahl Boys & Girls Club, 1949 E. Troy Ave., for 10 years. He works at the club after school and is a lifeguard in the summer.
Hogsett, 60, grew up in Rushville, where he was active in the Boys Club and worked seven years as a lifeguard and manager at the city pool.
"He is me 43 years ago," the mayor said. "I got started at the Boys Club, much like Jose has done. I worked my way up to junior leader, refereed ball games, coached sports teams."
The clubs have a "profound" impact on the quality of life for children in neighborhoods served by them, he said. There are 11 Boys & Girls Clubs in Indianapolis.
Bravo asked Hogsett about his efforts to get guns off the streets, just as news of another double-fatality shooting was breaking on the city's north side.
As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Hogsett said he took an aggressive approach to fighting violent crime but acknowledged the serious challenges the city faces when it comes to gun violence. "We're doing all we can."
He then asked the teen if he watches Channel 16, the public access channel where government meetings can be viewed. Bravo politely said, "when I can," while Hogsett's communications director Taylor Schaffer laughed out loud and said, "No one watches it except you, sir; he's just being polite."
Hogsett admitted he is glued to Channel 16. That and Netflix, which he just discovered last fall.
When Bravo asked what the mayor watches, Hogsett ticked off his favorite shows: "House of Cards," "Orange Is the New Black," "GLOW," "13 Reasons Why" and "Bloodline."
"I think if I was the mayor, I wouldn't have time to watch Netflix," Bravo said, more as a question than anything.
"I binge-watch, six or seven hours at at time" on the weekend, Hogsett told him. "When I watched the first season of 'House of Cards,' I thought it was over the top, unbelievable. But with what is going on in Washington today, it's like reality TV."
When Bravo said he would probably start watching it, Hogsett laughed and said, "You shouldn't, you're too young."
Before the two headed off to a news conference, Hogsett promised to come to one of Manual's football games in the fall, where Bravo is a linebacker. The teen hopes to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to study business and communications and plans to be a mentor himself.
Later, Whitten said the mayor served as a great example for the teen. "We hope to encourage lots of local professionals to volunteer for a day of mentorship."
To learn more, call (317) 313-8411 or email lharris@bgcindy.org.