The recent revelation that Carmel’s incumbent mayor Jim Brainard attempted to lure Carmel’s incumbent Clerk-Treasurer Christine Pauley to accompany him on an overseas trip raises some disturbing questions and shows a decided lack of morality where the mayor of Indiana’s fifth-largest city is concerned.
At the time of Brainard’s unwanted and unwelcome advances, he was married (albeit, physically separated) and a parishioner at Carmel’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Under Catholic canon law, the mayor’s actions are considered adultery — even though no actual liaison occurred as a result of his advances.
That Pauley — who is also a practicing Catholic at another parish — resolutely refused his advances demonstrated a keen understanding of the professional, faith and moral imperatives that Brainard was apparently so willing to violate.
The tone of the communications from Brainard to Pauley suggest a level of planning and premeditation on his part that nullify any ruse that offer was being made solely as a professional courtesy. That the mayor was already estranged from his wife suggests this was not the first such extramarital dalliance and further suggests a potential pattern of extramarital propositions going back several years. Using the position of his office to proposition women that he believed may be drawn to his power and influence.
Now, the calendar is refocused on the current day. It was recently announced that Ann Bingman, who served as Director of Internal Controls within the office of the Clerk-Treasurer, was terminated for cause on April 17th. Quoted recently, Brainard mouthpiece and city spokesman Dan McFeely said, “(Mayor Jim Brainard) feels it would be beneficial to keep Ann working for the City of Carmel, given her experience and knowledge.”
Of course he would.
The firing – which Bingman claims is politically-motivated — has resulted in the calling of a special session of the pro-Brainard Carmel Common Council for Tuesday, April 23rd at 5:30PM in council chambers, where his rubber-stamp council majority intends “to exercise the common council’s statutory power to investigate the Clerk-Treasurer and the ability of her office to adequately respond to and assist the state Board of Accounts during its annual city audit and to otherwise manage the city’s accounts and financial affairs.”
There are questions if the public was given the required advance notice of the special council session to avoid a violation of Indiana open-meeting laws.
In the larger picture, this is about retribution. An amoral paramour spurned and using (abusing?) the authority of his office and his influence over the legislative body of the city to wage a personal payback aimed at and to publicly embarrass an elected official that spurned his advances.
Carmel voters who believe that our leaders are moral examples should be aghast and angry at such behavior by Jim Brainard, as well as attempts by those he influences and enjoys support from to deflect attention away from his conduct.
With early and absentee voting already underway, it is time for Carmel voters to send a clear and unambiguous message that abusing the public trust is not acceptable and — especially — sexual harassment is never condoned.
Share this and discuss it with your Carmel neighbors. Then cast an informed vote on May 7th.
Brought to you by our friends at Essayists of Carmel, Indiana
