Carmel mayor: general election 2023
ReCenter Indiana endorses Sue Finkam for mayor of Carmel
OUR ENDORSEMENT
The political action committee of ReCenter Indiana is pleased to announce our endorsement of Sue Finkam in this fall’s general election for mayor of Carmel.
Finkam is wrapping up her third term on the Carmel City Council. She has extensive experience and deep insight into city government – a level of government that affects citizens every day. In addition, her business experience leading change in large organizations and her efforts in several community service organizations have prepared her to step into the role of mayor.
We expect that Finkam will leverage her collaborative leadership approach to build on Carmel’s success and that she will seek broader input and engagement from Carmel’s increasingly diverse residents.
Also on the ballot for Carmel mayor this fall is Democrat Miles Nelson, who also participated in our selection process. For the contested primary election last spring, the ReCenter Indiana PAC evaluated Finkam and Kevin “Woody” Rider, the other Republican candidate who took part in our interview process. At the time, we endorsed both of them as qualified centrists.
The ReCenter Indiana PAC is excited to see a competitive, vibrant race for Carmel mayor. We believe voters should have real options when they go to the polls.
Candidate interviews
We invited both candidates who are on the ballot for Carmel mayor for virtual interviews, allowing candidates to respond to the same questions spanning various office-related topics.
Miles Nelson was interviewed on July 13.
Sue Finkam was interviewed on July 14.
Click the “+” to expand to the full list of topics asked of each candidate.
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Learn from the candidates:
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Learn from the candidates about their views on:
• Housing
• How their administration would differ from Mayor Brainard
• Criticisms on their campaign’s diversity, equity, and inclusion
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Learn from the candidates about their views on:
Evaluation Process
CANDIDATE SELECTION
Select races
Evaluate
Interview
Endorse
We research the races and our selection committee decides on which ones to weigh in on.
Candidates for public office are asking you to hire them. We ask them questions to help you decide whether to give them the job.
We weigh their answers, along with their public record, to find the best fit for us and the majority of Hoosiers.
We recommend a candidate based on our evaluation. Who gets elected, of course, is up to the people who vote.
Candidate background
Why they're running
What else voters should know
Their qualifications
Their top priorities
Quality of life
Criticisms on diversity and inclusion
School referendum*
Housing
Continuity from Mayor Brainard
* Note
Both candidates address the ballot item to renew the operating referendum for the Carmel Clay Schools. Associate Superintendent Roger McMichael says that, contrary to prior reporting, the referendum will not raise taxes by $400. He provided this statement to ReCenter Indiana:
“CCS is asking for the current Referendum to be renewed, which would extend the existing Referendum for (8) eight years. If the Referendum is renewed, the $.19 tax rate will remain the same. Taxes paid for the Referendum will vary based on factors such as assessed value and deductions.
"According to the Hamilton County Auditor, in 2023 the average assessed value of a homestead in Carmel is $432,548. The 2023 tax for the Referendum for a homestead with the average assessed value is $438.38. If the assessed value on the home increases 5% in 2024, the taxes paid for the Referendum will increase $61 per year.
"A tax calculator is available on the CCS website which a homeowner can use to estimate the impact of the Referendum on their taxes.”