Two Republican candidates running in the Carmel municipal primary election say their campaigns have faced unexpected hurdles as a result of intimidating tactics used by opponents or their opponents’ supporters, an allegation vehemently denied by the other side.
City Councilor Sue Finkam, a mayoral candidate, first publicly made allegations against fellow city councilor and mayoral candidate Kevin “Woody” Rider during a March 28 debate presented by Current in Carmel. At the event, she said she’d heard from several would-be supporters who told her Rider, should he win the election, threatened to withhold city contracts if they supported Finkam.
Finkam elaborated March 30 in an interview with Current on the allegations.
“I’ve had numerous professionals reach out and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to come to your event, but we can’t, because Kevin has called everyone in our office and said if we donate money to you, we’re not going to get any city contracts,” Finkam said. “It’s been very frustrating. I’m fine if someone says, ‘I want to put my money behind Candidate A, not Candidate B.’ I support the fact that it’s their money. They can do with it what they want. But when they say, ‘I would love to support you, but I’m afraid to do so because of a threat of not getting a contract,’ That’s a whole different ball game.”
Finkam declined to provide names of individuals or businesses that allegedly experienced the intimidation, stating that they were either protected by attorney/client privilege or feared retaliation and loss of business if they came forward.
When reached by phone April 5, Rider declined to comment on the allegations. In a statement, however, he strongly refuted Finkam’s claims.
“The accusations made by my opponents are 100 percent false. I have never nor would I ever threaten a donor or vendor for any reason,” he stated. “It’s a shame that this campaign can’t be about the people of Carmel and the issues that matter. I commit to continue running a positive campaign.”
After Finkam first made the allegations at the debate, without identifying who was behind the threats, Rider used his time to explain that he tells donors he would return their checks if they were to ever ask for a favor, adding that he was going to keep his campaign “on a positive note” regarding anyone who says donors can buy his influence. He did not offer a rebuttal when Finkam used her rebuttal time to call him out by name.
“He didn’t address what would happen if people donate to me, so it was really a non-answer,” Finkam told Current. “Then he referenced doing a positive campaign, which I felt was a slap at me for bringing out his bad behavior.”
Finkam and Rider are running against Fred Glynn, a former Hamilton County councilor, in the Republican primary. Glynn said Finkam’s allegations are “disturbing, to say the least.”
“What this clearly represents is the status quo of how the mayor’s race has been funded for the past 28 years in our city,” Glynn stated. “Most certainly this is unethical and reflects why it is time for a qualified outsider candidate to be elected in Carmel.”
Concerned about ramifications
Carmel City Council candidate Jonathan Blake, a planner at V3 Companies, told Current on April 5 that his employer received calls threatening to withhold city contracts if Blake didn’t drop out of the race. The calls began, he said, after he made a last-minute switch from running in the North Central District to running in the at-large race.
“It is my understanding that my employer has received some negative pressure from individuals that don’t want me to be in the race. I don’t know who those individuals are,” Blake said. “It’s disheartening when you hear those kinds of comments made or statements made that give the impression that city contracts won’t be granted to certain organizations based on their political affiliation.”
Blake said once he learned about the calls, he seriously considered dropping out of the race. He was out of the country at the time, however, and realized he wouldn’t be back in time to officially withdraw, which must be done within a week of the filing deadline. So he continued his campaign.
“I’m in the race, and I’m thankful that I’m in the race, but there is this hesitation,” Blake said. “I’m concerned that there could be other ramifications.”
Officials from V3 Companies did not respond to questions or provide comment on the allegations as of press time.
In the Republican primary, Blake is facing incumbent at-large Councilor Jeff Worrell, Clay Township Board Member Matt Snyder and Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation Board President Rich Taylor for three at-large seats. The top three candidates in the primary will advance to the general election.
‘Baseless claims’
In the week following Finkam’s allegations, Worrell released a video calling the accusations against Rider “completely false” and urged viewers to join him in voting for Rider on May 2.
Worrell, who is part of a slate of candidates that includes Rider and five others, told Current on April 5 that he and Finkam likely share some of the same donors, and he said he’s not come across anything to substantiate her allegations.
“I’m really disappointed at the mudslinging that has started in this mayoral race, in my opinion, with baseless claims,” Worrell said. “I’ve seen nothing that gives me any reason to think this is true. It’s absolutely false.”
Finkam, who joined the city council in 2012, said she has not experienced these types of tactics in any previous campaigns. She said the issue is one that should be a concern to all Carmel voters.
“Someone said to me that this is me trying to break up the boys club, but this is not about gender. Both men and women should be offended by that thought,” Finkam said. “This is about highlighting a really poisonous practice. And for me and my administration, the way you get a contract is you hire great people. You do good work, and you provide value to the taxpayers. It doesn’t matter what campaign (you support).”
