Carmel mayor looks at legacy as his term nears its end
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIn a matter of weeks, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard will be leaving office after seven terms and shepherding dramatic change in the Hamilton County city.
During his 28-year tenure, Carmel’s population has grown from 25,000 to more than 100,000, and the development of the city’s downtown during that time is what Brainard thinks will be his lasting legacy.
“Carmel did not have a downtown like many U.S. suburbs,” he said. “Today, we have this beautiful, walkable downtown where somebody can leave their house, walk to a restaurant or walk to a store.”
During an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Brainard talked about the city’s growth, including a focus on the arts.
“We wanted a downtown here in Carmel; the people that live in Carmel told me they wanted a downtown,” he said. “The question is, what’s the draw to that downtown? We chose to invest in the arts. The Palladium is one of the world’s great concert halls, and Feinstein’s Cabaret at Hotel Carmichael all make part of this entertainment campus here in the middle our new downtown. It’s worked out very well for us.”
Brainard cited a recent report from Americans for the Arts, which showed that the not-for-profit arts and culture industry generated $42.7 million in economic activity and supports nearly 1,000 full-time jobs.
The mayor noted that the investment in the arts has also played well in attracting and expanding the corporate base in Carmel.
“We have 150 corporate headquarters in Carmel, and those corporations need to hire the best and brightest and smartest people from all over the globe,” he said. “And so by investing in quality of life, by investing in a beautiful downtown, it supports those corporations. It helps them create good jobs.”
As for what’s next after he leaves office, Brainard said there is no news yet. “I’ll talk about that in January.”
Daniel Bradley will have more with Mayor Brainard in this week’s edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal, available on Friday.