James Brainard

James R. Brainard
5th Mayor of Carmel, Indiana
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 1996
Preceded by	Ted Johnson
Personal details
Born	1954 (age 63–64) Bristol, Indiana
Political party	Republican
Residence	Carmel, Indiana
Alma mater	Butler University Claude Pettit College of Law
Occupation	Lecturer Politician
Website	http://www.carmel.in.gov
Nickname(s)	Jim

James Brainard is the six-term mayor of Carmel, Indiana, a principal city in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Brainard, who first took office January 1, 1996, is currently serving his sixth consecutive four year term having won a term in the 2015 primary election that will end in 2019.^[1][2] With his victory, Mayor Brainard is one of Indiana's longest serving mayors. For the past 20 years, he has led a city whose population has grown from 25,000 to more than 80,000. His keynote projects have been the creation of a new downtown called City Center, where a new 1,600-seat concert hall, the Palladium, opened five years ago, the redevelopment of the oldest part of town into a new Arts & Design District and building several more city parks and trails.^[3] Brainard is frequently asked to speak around the world about city planning, redevelopment and roadway networks. Under his administration, the City of Carmel has eliminated dozens of traffic signals and dangerous intersections, replacing them with roundabouts. Carmel, with 97 roundabouts as of October 2016, has more roundabouts than any other city in the United States.^[4]

Early life and education

Raised in Bristol, Indiana, the son of Jack and Dortha, he was always interested in Music. He considered majoring in it but since he wanted to go to law school, he chose to follow his parents to Butler University because of their history department's reputation. After graduating in 1976, he went on to the law school at Ohio Northern University. He graduated in 1980, having supported himself as a cab driver.^[5]

Political views

Brainard is a moderate Republican who has earned a national reputation for defending efforts to fight against the effects of climate change.^[6] Brainard is serving as a Trustee and co-chair of the Energy Independence and Climate Protection Task Force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In November 2013 he was appointed to the Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience by the President of the United States. He traveled in 2015 to four cities in India to represent the United States as part of the US State Department's speaker's bureau. Also, in 2015 he was asked to speak on energy and climate policy at the German-American Centers in five German cities.^[7] Additionally, he has been a guest lecturer for Georgetown University, Butler University, Indiana University and Purdue University among others. He often speaks to city councils and planning commissions across the United States about city design and development.Because of his views, Brainard "was tapped to be on President Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. He [also] won first place honors from the 2008 Mayor's Climate Protection Awards Program."^[8] In 2013, it was announced he would be "one of 26 local government representatives who make up a new task force to help communities deal with the effects of climate change" ^[9]

Brainard is also a fiscal conservative who has invested millions of dollars in local redevelopment projects while keeping the city tax rate among the lowest among cities in the state of Indiana.^[10] Because of Brainard's activity to create a health conscious community, Carmel has received various awards for its healthy living.^[11] In 2015, he proposed and the City Council passed a new ordinance to designed to protect human rights regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The issue was first raised in Carmel during the election campaign and came to its closure during a time of heightened awareness.^[12] Brainard is a supporter of diversity in Carmel. He hosts an annual "Iftar" for the local Muslim community and established a new Carmel Interfaith Alliance in the fall of 2015 designed to bring together pastors and religious leaders from a variety of faiths.^[13] Brainard has said, "When I study the history of our cities, I see that the most important advances take place when people of diverse backgrounds meet. Carmel's diversity brings a richness to the fabric of our community, and our freedom of religion should be celebrated."^[14]

Awards

• 2016 No. 1 Safest City to Raise a Child, by The SafeWise Report, which analyzed violent crime data from the most recent FBI Crime Report, along with sex offender populations, state graduation rates, and school rankings. They also looked for unique programs that were kid-friendly.^[15]
• 2016 Best Small Cities for Families in America, by NerdWallet. NerdWallet analyzed data on affordability, family-friendliness, growth and prosperity for 245 places and Carmel ranked fifth nationwide.^[16]
• 2015 No. 1 Best Cities in Indiana to Get a Job by Zippia, the career expert.^[17]
• 2013 International Making Cities Livable Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award "for his inspirational leadership in creating a vibrant, multi-functional heart for Carmel, IN."^[18]
• 2012 No. 1 Best Places to Live in America by CNN Money Magazine.^[19]
• 2012 American Council of Engineering Companies of Indiana (ACEC Indiana) Public Service Award ^[20]
• 2011 Local Arts Leadership because of "Support the Arts fund, which mandates that one percent of the city's general fund support local arts organizations. What's more, the account is set up as a non-reverting fund. As such, any money not used at year's end is not lost but flows into next year's fund."^[21]

External links

• Mayor Drives the Remaking of an Indiana City Redevelopment of Carmel, Ind., Has a European Flair. JULY 1, 2014
• A mayor for the new millennium

References