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Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, who is not seeking reelection after 28 years in office, on Friday endorsed Kevin “Woody” Rider to be his successor.
Rider is competing against Sue Finkam and Fred Glynn in the Republican primary election. The winner on May 2 will likely face Democrat Miles Nelson in the general election on Nov. 7.
Carmel’s next mayor will take office Jan. 1.
In a written statement, Brainard said he did not intend to become involved in the Republican primary election when he announced in September that he would not seek an eighth term.
However, he said he decided to publicly endorse Rider due to statements by the candidates, requests from voters and the importance of choosing the right mayor.
Brainard added that the upcoming election could “dramatically change the direction of our city and reverse the progress we have made as a community.”
“The reasons are based on statements made by the candidates in the current campaign and the importance of protecting our city’s future that so many in my administration and the community have worked so hard for,” Brainard said. “I am very proud of our accomplishments during my seven terms. Serving the residents of this city has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Rider is a 35-year Carmel resident who is in his fourth term as an at-large Carmel city councilor. He is also a member of the Carmel Plan Commission and owns two Carmel restaurants: Woody’s Library Restaurant and Divvy.
Finkam, a three-term city councilor, is the principal of Carmel-based FireStarter LLC, a marketing and public relations firm she founded in 2010.
Glynn, a loan officer who has painted himself as an outsider in the race, served two terms on the Hamilton County Council before he stepped down last year to run for the District 32 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives, a race he lost in a tight election to Democrat Victoria Garcia Wilburn. Glynn is making his second run for mayor; he unsuccessfully challenged Brainard in the 2019 primary.
The Republican primary campaign has become heated in recent weeks. During a debate featuring the three candidates on March 28, Finkam accused Rider of threatening to withhold from working with companies if they contributed to—or even engaged with—her campaign. Rider has denied the accusation.
Rider, who raised just shy of $365,000 in 2022, leads the candidates in fundraising with nearly $507,000 in cash, according to campaign finance reports.
Glynn’s political action committee, Friends of Glynn, reported having about $58,000, while Nelson had about $43,000 in hand, and Finkam reported having just under $42,000.
Candidates are required to file updated campaign finance reports by noon April 14 for money raised this year from January through March.
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Word on the street is that Woody is planning on giving Brainard a consulting job if elected? Brainard will still be calling the shots but making more money than he did as Mayor. These guys are slezz bags.
The company Brainard keeps:
https://www.mass.gov/news/three-clinical-laboratories-and-their-owner-charged-with-defrauding-masshealth-money-laundering-and-illegal-kickbacks
I am proud of Woody’s positive campaign!
Positive campaign? He and his slate are out threatening to withhold city business from those that donate to opponents and going to their employers. He learned from Brainard, I experienced that first hand.
Rider and his “slate of seven”… buying seven seats AND retaining the mayor? Can’t stand on his own and will continue the ridiculous spending and will be NO TRANSPARENCY
Rider and his “slate of seven”… buying seven seats AND retaining the mayor? Can’t stand on his own and will continue the ridiculous spending, apartment give aways and will be NO TRANSPARENCY
**Eric M. Please elaborate on your link? I’m very curious??