Carmel mayor wants city to move to second-class city
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) – The new year may bring back an old discussion in Carmel. It’s something Mayor Jim Brainard has tried, two other times, and it failed.
Brainard would like to see the designation of Carmel move from a “third-class city” to “second-class.”
The change would mean adjustments for positions such as Clerk – Treasurer. That would become an appointed position rather than an elected office.
“This particular position doesn’t involve making policy. It’s a function,” Brainard said. “Just like we don’t elect a street commissioner. We don’t elect a police chief. We don’t elect a fire chief.” So, Brainard said, “I think that positions that don’t make policy should not be elected.”
Such a move would end the feuds between the Mayor’s Office and the current Clerk – Treasurer, Diana Cordray.
It would also add two members to what is now a seven member City Council in Carmel.
Brainard said, at one time, the change in a city’s classification would be automatic, adjusting with its population growth. Now, mayors and councils can decide whether they want to change. Without it, he told 24-Hour News 8, Carmel would be “the only city in Hamilton County or Marion County that’s not a second or first-class city.”
But, even if the council approves such changes, it could not take effect for four years — until the next election cycle.