2023 Carmel mayoral election
The 2023 Carmel mayoral election took place on November 7, 2023. Republican nominee Sue Finkam defeated Democrat Miles Nelson by a 14.4% margin to become the next mayor.
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Precinct results Finkam: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Nelson: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Indiana |
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Incumbent Republican Mayor James Brainard, first elected in 1995, chose to retire, creating an open race for the position for the first time in 28 years. In the party primaries held on May 2, 2023, Republican City Councilor Sue Finkam bested two other GOP candidates to advance to the November 7 general election, while Democrat Miles Nelson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and advanced automatically.
Finkam's general election campaign priorities included boosting fiscal responsibility by adopting zero-based budgeting in the first year, crime prevention and public safety, expanding community involvement in development projects (specifically multifamily housing projects), and increasing government transparency, as outlined in the vision plan published and promoted by her campaign. Nelson's campaign primarily focused on his opposition to the conservative parent advocacy group Moms for Liberty, and concerns he had about their possible influence on Carmel Clay Schools policy which is set by the school board. Notably, there is no conservative majority on the current school board following the 2022 school board elections.