By Adam Aasen
Both candidates for the mayor of Carmel released TV advertisements in the same week at the beginning of April.
Mayor Jim Brainard, the five-time incumbent, released two TV spots while his challenger Rick Sharp, president of the Carmel City Council, also released his ad first.
In his ad, Sharp is seen with his wife Susan as he speaks directly to the camera. The visuals in Sharp’s ad show him walking door-to-door to meet with potential voters and meeting in an office going over financial figures. The message is focused on the debt.
“My wife Susan and I love this city and we believe in our future,” Sharp says in his ad. “I’m running for mayor because that future is in jeopardy. Due to overspending and lack of transparency, our city’s debt has reached nearly a billion dollars. If you don’t change course soon, the only recourse will be to raise your taxes and I won’t let that happen.”
In Brainard’s first ad, he speaks to the Camera at first and then it cuts to visuals of the city’s amentities, such as the Carmel Arts & Design District, the Monon Community Center, The Palladium and roundabouts. Although he never mentions Sharp, Brainard’s ad somewhat refutes Sharp’s message that the city has a problem with debt. He ends it with the words on the screen, “right course for a bright future.”
“Carmel is a thriving city that’s competitive in a global marketplace with good jobs and economic opportunity,” Brainard says in his ad. “Our strong fiscal management led Standard & Poors to raise our credit rating. We’ve managed our growth, controlled our spending and kept our taxes low.”
In the second ad, Brainard doesn’t give the narration himself, but a man speaks saying that Carmel is a great place to live and raise a family. The ad shows shots of the city while claiming that Carmel has low taxes and “a future based on sound fiscal management.” It ends by saying: “Mayor Brainard: Lower taxes, conservative leadership, Republican values.”
