In what was already a spirited primary campaign season, recent allegations from Carmel Clerk-
Treasurer Christine Pauley of sexual harassment and retaliation by incumbent mayor Jim Brainard have now begun to dominate local media and community conversations in the final days of the primary campaigns, eclipsing conversations about redevelopment, debt and fiscal issues, transparency and other campaign issues.
Predictably, Brainard himself and many of his supporters are now attempting to discredit Pauley and her claims. Because of the seriousness of the allegations and the coordinated rush to discredit Pauley, it bears looking into some of the now-common talking points.
Brainard does not deny the allegations
At no time has Brainard ever denied that he sent the personal email messages and proposed the private trips with her to Rome and to a resort cabin in northern Wisconsin, nor has he denied the intent detailed in them. He tries to excuse it by claiming they saw each other socially for a short time in early 2016 and it was a “mutual and equal relationship“.
He instead turned to Nancy Heck, Director of Community Relations and Economic Development for the city of Carmel, to unleash a vitriolic attack on Pauley’s credibility and portray Brainard as the victim:
“I have never seen anything like the fan-girling that Ms. Pauley displayed toward the mayor. It was clear to me and many of us at City Hall that she was pursuing him in order to get invited to events and meetings she thought were important. Unfortunately, she caught him at a time that he was emotionally vulnerable, having separated from his wife the year prior. Fortunately, after a few months, it was clear he was being used and the relationship ended.”
Ms. Heck has been working for the City of Carmel since 1998 — nearly as long as Jim Brainard has been mayor. She has benefitted from a close professional relationship with the mayor and has been rewarded along the way for her unflagging allegiance to him and his agenda. Though an official spokesperson for the city, she can hardly be described as objective when if comes to anything affecting public opinion about Jim Brainard’s personal or professional conduct.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?
In a letter to the editor published on April 25, 2019 in Current in Carmel and signed by 16 female employees of the City of Carmel (including pro-Brainard candidate for City Clerk, Sue Wolfgang) they state:
“The truth is: In all of the years that we have worked in City Hall, we have NEVER, let us repeat NEVER, experienced nor observed any inappropriate behavior by the mayor toward anyone.”
There is no reason to doubt the veracity of what these women claim in that statement. It is very likely true that none of them ever experienced or witnessed inappropriate behavior toward them or toward anyone. That statement, however, does not do anything to discount or discredit Ms. Pauley’s allegations — simply, that none of these women specifically witnessed such behavior. In fact, the context of the allegations — stemming from personal meetings and email messages — would not have made such inappropriate behavior obvious to any of them.
What further taints the claims of the women signing this letter is the letter itself has since been circulated widely by Friends of Jim Brainard — the mayor’s re-election organization — as a vindication of the mayor. Carmel voters need to understand when a response is sincere versus when it is produced to be used as propaganda.
“This is politically motivated”
Brainard, Heck and a number of the mayor’s supporters have all claimed that Pauley’s allegations are politically motivated. Brainard, in responding to Pauley’s allegations, said, “This is clearly a premeditated attack on my character meant to divert voters’ attention from the real issues of the campaign.”
Both Pauley and her attorney, Tim Stoesz, agree that the timing of the allegations are indeed politically motivated. Pauley explained,
“This is about an executive in a major city in Indiana that behaved in this fashion, while he was married, setting up these kinds of secretive arrangements. It’s irresponsible, and his behavior is not appropriate for someone leading a city of our size, and citizens should expect better.”
It should also be pointed out that political motivation also drives the effort to close ranks around the incumbent mayor and victim-shame Ms. Pauley. Each of those that has publicly defended Jim Brainard either depends upon allegiance to the mayor for his or her job and paycheck, or receives the benefit of public funds and/or favored treatment for his or her special interests. Thus, the argument of Ms. Pauley’s allegations being politically motivated does not have the weight it might otherwise have and becomes simply another feeble effort to deflect negative attention away from the mayor.
“Why wait three years to say anything?“
When asked why she didn’t make these allegations when they occurred in 2016, she said it was because she was just elected and knew she would need Brainard’s help.
“I had an office to run. So I tried to ignore it and keep him at arms-length. I had to have a working relationship with him. And exactly what I didn’t want to happen happened, which is a completely adversarial relationship between our offices.”
Admittedly, the length of time it took for Ms. Pauley to make her allegations public is concerning to many, as is has been with many other similar allegations of sexual harassment dominating national new headlines in recent months. Certainly, there is a sense of fear, embarrassment and fatalism involved. However, recent history has shown us that when the behavior gets pervasive and the alleged perpetrator seeks power, a certain tipping point is reached and the victim has to find a way to set personal emotions aside in order to tell his or her story.
Christine Pauley’s allegations are, at the very least, troubling. They are the latest in a long list of behaviors by Jim Brainard that call into question not only his trustworthiness, but also his very fitness for office. When coupled with other issues raised during the current mayor primary campaign, Carmel voters need to mobilize and take a strong, unified stand to say “enough is enough”.
Carmel deserves better.
Share with your Carmel friends and neighbors. Then cast an informed vote on May 7th.
Brought to you by our friends at Essayists of Carmel, Indiana
