As Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Weingarten filed a request with the Hamilton County Election 
Board last week to have allegations of bribery in the Carmel mayoral GOP primary campaign investigated, it turned on a bright and shining light in a number of places local GOP insiders would likely rather it didn’t.
First, it focuses attention on the county elections board and its members, who have repeatedly shown great reluctance to sanction Carmel’s incumbent mayor, Jim Brainard, for repeated campaign finance report violations. To call this group feckless and ineffective in their mission is perhaps a gross understatement. Weingarten’s request is as much a challenge to the board to show a measure of independence, rather than continued fealty to the Brainard political machine.
Secondly, it focuses attention on the alleged actions of Dan Hennessy, a former campaign advisor to Hamilton County Councilor and Carmel mayoral challenger, Fred Glynn. According to reports, it was shortly after offering Glynn the sum of $140,000 to drop out of the race so Jim Brainard could run unopposed to another four-year term that Hennessy officially switched camps and joined the Brainard campaign. Of course, Jim Brainard denies any and all knowledge and culpability of the alleged bribery, but was quick to have Hennessy come aboard his campaign — rather than doing the right thing and moving on without him.
It’s clear that the Brainard campaign is very nervous and not at all confident about the mayor’s achievements. Little progress is being made to promote progress in the redevelopment of Midtown and the Monon Corridor, new companies moving into town or sustainability initiatives. instead, the mayor and his campaign operatives are struggling to undermine a growing community awareness about a massive and unsustainable bonded debt of over $1.3 billion, unmet performance guarantees from favored developer and Brainard campaign contributor Pedcor Companies, a growing list of small businesses displaced and/or forced out of business outright as a result of reckless redevelopment strategies, or the ongoing failure of the
Center for the Performing Arts to sustain itself without massive public subsidies.
Every Carmel voter should ask himself or herself — if things are as great as Jim Brainard, his supporters and surrogates claim, why the effort to eliminate any challenger? Brainard should be flattered at the opportunity to tour his record and explain his vision to undecided voters. Instead, he is running from any critique or honest and open debate about his performance in office and instead directing his operatives to censor any dissenting views.
Carmel deserves better.
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