Laura Campbell, vice chairman for the Hamilton County Republican Party, has announced she will run for Carmel City Council in the Northwest district.
Rick Sharp, the current councilor representing that district, said he will not run in that district again and might run for mayor or run as an at-large council candidate.
Campbell, who is the wife of J. Richard Campbell, judge for Superior Court 4, said she thought about running for a long time but felt this time was right.
“I’ve always had an interest in local government,” she said. “People have asked me to run in the past but this was the right time.”
Many people might wonder what Campbell’s opinions are on Carmel’s top issues. Recently, some have believed there are two distinct groups on Carmel’s seven-member City Council: four councilors who tend to be more critical of Mayor Jim Brainard and three councilors who more often agree with the mayor.
People want to know about Campbell: Which side is she on?
Well, Campbell said she doesn’t want to be painted onto one side and that she has friends of all political opinions in Carmel.
“People know that I’m independently minded,” she said. “I know that money has to be spent. It’s important to maintain infrastructure. I’ll consider each project that comes up on the council.”
In fact, several City Councilors – including very different personalities who recently publicly fought about Carmel’s financial picture – all told Current in private that they think Campbell would make a good choice for City Council.
When asked about some of the hot button issues, Campbell wasn’t shy about her opinions but often admitted when she feels she needs to do more research on a topic. She said she feels strongest about her knowledge of public safety and hopes to learn more about the arts community.
Campbell said she was initially against projects like The Monon Community Center and The Carmel Center for the Performing Arts because she feels uncomfortable about seeing government step into the realm of the private sector. At the same time, she said she wants to see these endeavors succeed and she said she’s no extremist and she understands that Carmel needs to spend money to attract new businesses.
Campbell said she’s cautious about Carmel’s level of debt and believes that the national economy might still have tough days ahead so she believes in being fiscally conservative as a result.
No other candidate has publicly announced for this council district yet. Campbell said Sharp’s decision did not play a factor in her decision.
“I really wanted to run for the seat,” she said. “I don’t have any issues with Rick, but I made this decision before I knew what he was going to do.”
Campbell said she would most likely keep her role on the county GOP’s central committee. She said there’s plenty of precedent for elected offices serving roles within the county’s party leadership.
When she moved to Carmel in 1977 from New Jersey, she originally thought she would move back to the East Coast when she graduated from school. She went into public relations and even did an internship in New York, but found herself back in Indiana. She decided to make her home in the Hoosier State, building a career in PR and marketing in commercial real estate.
She said there’s something special about Carmel that makes people want to live here.
“I think people love where they live,” she said. “There’s a lot to do. The city is so vibrant. I love the walking paths and the parks. I love that downtown has been developed. Now there’s so much more to do here. It’s a great place to live and work. I like the vision that the mayor has for the city and we have to continue to attract businesses to the area.”
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE:
- Name: Laura Campbell
- Age: 48
- Children: Ben, 11, Cole, 20, and Emily, 23
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University
- Spouse: Judge J. Richard Campbell
- Web site: http://www.lauracampbellforcouncil.com/
