James Brainard

James Brainard (born 1954) is a retired American politician of the Republican Party who served as the fifth mayor of Carmel, Indiana, a principal city in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, from 1996 to 2024. At the time he left office on January 4, 2024, he was one of Indiana's longest serving mayors. During his tenure as mayor, Carmel's population grew from 25,000 in 1996 to 102,000 in 2021 and saw the creation of a new downtown called City Center, where a new 1,600-seat concert hall, The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2011. Two smaller theaters opened as well, in addition to the redevelopment of the oldest part of town into a new Arts & Design District. Brainard announced in September 2022 that he would not run for re-election in 2023, and his term expired on January 4, 2024, after which point he was succeeded by fellow Republican Sue Finkam.