Sue Finkam wins Carmel mayor's race

Carmel voters Tuesday chose Republican Sue Finkam over Democrat Miles Nelson as the city's next mayor, marking the first time in three decades that someone other than Jim Brainard will occupy the seat.

Finkam won 56.6% of the vote to Nelson’s 42.2%, according to unofficial results from the Hamilton County election office. About 1% voted for Darin Johnson, a write-in candidate.

All precincts in Hamilton County had reported results just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The mayor and city council elections were billed as a litmus test on whether Republicans could maintain a majority in Carmel's elected offices or whether Democrats would make gains.

At times, the race became tense; Nelson consistently asked Finkam to denounce the Hamilton County chapter of Moms for Liberty, which made headlines this summer when it quoted Hitler in a newsletter. While both candidates condemned the quotation, Finkam demurred when Nelson challenged her to denounce the group at an October debate.

Tuesday night Finkam alluded to the incident in her victory speech.

"I thought this campaign would be about the best way to lead Carmel but it turned into something louder, nastier and negative when my opponent attacked me and put Carmel in a negative national light," Finkam said at her victory party Tuesday. "But rather than run a divisive campaign I decided to put Carmel and it people first, and run with integrity and clarity of vision."

Ultimately just one Democrat won in Carmel Tuesday: Dr. Anita Joshi defeated Republican Loren Matthes in the West District, the city council seat Nelson won in 2019.

Nelson conceded the mayor's race around 8 p.m. and thanked volunteers while holding back tears during his concession speech.

“Because of all of you, we have moved the needle in this community,” Nelson said.

Finkam's victory

Finkam will be the first new face in the mayor’s office in nearly 30 years when she takes over the leadership role from Brainard, also a Republican. Brainard, who did not run for reelection and who endorsed Finkam, has led Carmel’s transformation from a bedroom community into a well-known city of more than 100,000 residents.

Finkam will become the third woman to lead Carmel in the mayor’s office. Jane Reiman served as mayor from 1980 until 1987 and Dottie Hancock from 1988 through 1991.

Central Indiana election results 2023: Get live vote tallies here as they are announced

Finkam, a three-term city councilor, will lead Carmel into the future at a significant turning point in the city’s history. The city’s population is growing, both in numbers and diversity, as people continue to flock to the community for its schools and amenities.

She won a highly-contested Republican primary in May. Since the start of the year, Finkam campaigned on building on Brainard’s vision for the city but told voters she wanted to bring more public participation in future city policies, with innovations such as a citywide survey and transparency portal.

Finkam has lived in Carmel since 2007 with her husband Joe and son Drew. She’s the founder of marketing agency FireStarter.

Q&A: Who is Sue Finkam? Meet the new Republican mayor of Carmel

A challenging campaign

Finkam and Nelson, members of the Carmel City Council, both campaigned on continuing Brainard’s vision for Carmel, but they also shared tense moments leading up to Tuesday night.

Much of the campaign debate centered on the mayor's role in schools after the Hamilton County chapter of Moms for Liberty made national news for the Hitler quote in its newsletter.

The race has generated major fundraising for both parties. In pre-election campaign finance reports, Finkam reported raising more than $600,000 since April, and Nelson reported raising more than $300,000.

Despite the election loss, Nelson has written his name in Carmel history books. He was the first Democrat elected to the Carmel City Council in 2019 and his candidacy for mayor provided Carmel voters with the first contested general election for mayor since 2007.

Nelson, who runs an executive search firm, told IndyStar Tuesday night that he was proud of the work his campaign did over the last few months and said he felt like he had done everything that he could to win over voters.

Q&A: Who is Miles Nelson? Meet the Democrat running for mayor of Carmel

“The city’s just not ready yet, but I think we have certainly moved the needle and set up opportunities for the future,” Nelson said.

IndyStar reporters John Tuohy and Caroline Beck contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar's state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at [email protected] or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carmel mayor election results: Sue Finkam beats Miles Nelson