Carmel City Council member Tony Green is hoping that his independence from the rest of the council will be a winning strategy for re-election.
Green, who was appointed by a caucus in January 2017 to fill a vacant seat, said he is the only incumbent council member not previously endorsed by Mayor Jim Brainard and was the only one not to visit the Hamilton County courthouse Jan. 9 to file as a group for re-election.
“I’m not on (mayoral candidate) Fred Glynn’s slate, and I’m not on the mayor’s slate,” Green said. “I’m independent, and I’m going to be a check and balance.”
Green, who filed as a Republican, will face Matt Milam in the May 7 primary, a Home Place resident who announced his bid for office in October 2018. Milam was a leading voice in opposing Carmel’s annexation of Home Place, a lengthy battle that ended with the annexation becoming official in March 2018.
Home Place has been in the southeast district since the annexation, but it will move to the southwest district in 2020 because of redistricting that occurred after Carmel became a second class city. Green’s district experienced the most change as a result of redistricting, with many of his current precincts shifting to a newly-created west district.
Green said he’s working to build rapport among Home Place residents the same way he has in his current district by meeting with residents one neighborhood at a time. He believes his independent streak will be valued by residents in all parts of the new southwest district.
“I think my message is equal, both west of Meridian Street and east of it,” said Green, who for a time considered running for an at-large seat.
Green’s priorities for the next four years on the council are protecting against overdevelopment, improving public safety, maintaining infrastructure and scrutinizing fiscal spending.
A Carmel resident for more than a decade, Green is chief legal and compliance officer for the Indiana Public Retirement System. He’s a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who served as a pilot for more than 14 years on seven deployments. He holds the rank of colonel as the state judge advocate for the Indiana Air Guard.
