Tully: In Carmel, Jim Brainard savors another vote of confidence

A white wine in his hand, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard stood in his campaign headquarters Tuesday night as the election returns began to trickle in. It was early, but it was clear things were going his way.

"This one is going to feel really special," he said, noting the harsh criticism he had faced during the campaign.

An hour later, the results were in. It wasn't even close. Central Indiana's most intriguing mayor had won the GOP primary in a walk, paving the way for a sixth term. Questions about the city's debt, and attacks on his methods, had not had an impact. Given the choice between a mayor who likes to think and spend big, and a challenger who wanted to pull back, Carmel Republicans gave Brainard a thumbs up.

"It's a message that they trust us," the mayor told a group of reporters. "We're going to take that trust seriously." And, he said, "We're going to continue to do what we're doing in Carmel to create a city that is able to compete with the greatest cities in the country."

In Indianapolis, Tuesday's mayoral primary elections were nothing more than a chance to set the stage for a fall general election between Democrat Joe Hogsett and Republican Chuck Brewer. But things are different in Carmel. A sign on the door at a voting precinct near 116th and Meridian streets underscored that point: There would be no Democratic primary voting Tuesday, the sign read, because no Democrats had filed to run for mayor, council or other local offices.

Translation: In Republican strongholds like Carmel, the primary election is the only one that matters. In places like Carmel and Westfield, the winners Tuesday would run their cities for the next four years.

This year, that meant more than usual in Carmel. Or at least that seemed to be the case in the days leading up to the primary. Brainard is credited with building the state's most vibrant suburb, but he faced what was expected to be his toughest reelection battle yet. The debt Brainard has taken on to do his building had given his challenger, Council President Rick Sharp, an opening.

"In the closing days, we've definitely had the momentum," Sharp insisted as he greeted voters at a precinct on West 136th Street at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The third-term councilman said he had heard two messages most often from voters. First, that after 20 years under Brainard it was time for a change. And, second, that the city's level of debt is unsustainable.

That was indeed a message I heard while talking to some voters at the polls Tuesday. A onetime Brainard supporter named Sandy Sanders, for instance, voted for Sharp at the Carmel United Methodist Church and then told me that, "We're too much in debt."

"I was a supporter of (Brainard's) in the beginning," she said, "but I can say now that I just think we are in places we shouldn't be with our money."

"The debt issues really resonated with people," Sharp said.

He was wrong. Or at least, he found, the message hadn't resonated with nearly enough people. Brainard won by roughly 25 percentage points. A landslide.

Ultimately, Sharp's loss shows that it's hard to convince people that the financial sky is falling when most have seen their property values rise and their tax bills stay flat. Plus, Sharp was walking another tightrope that proved too difficult: To celebrate the work Brainard has done while insisting that the mayor needed to be replaced.

As the results arrived Tuesday night, Brainard not only won but also appeared to see a set of council elections go his way. That, he said, means he will have a better chance to carry out his vision to further redevelop the heart of Carmel in the coming years. The bottom line: Voters gave him both a sixth term and the chance to do more with it.

"They like our low tax rate," he said. "They like our walkable neighborhoods and what we've created downtown. They like the roundabouts we've built and the improved traffic flow. They've told me they are still happy with all the reasons people have been choosing to move here."

Like other elections, this one was a referendum on the incumbent. And it wasn't even close.

You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or at Twitter.com/matthewltully.