Editor,
I moved to Carmel for its schools, neighborhoods and safety. I’ve never been involved in Carmel politics, and I’ve never written a letter to the editor. But I’m stepping forward today because the race for Carmel mayor is just too important to remain silent.
I hate to say this out loud — but Carmel is starting to experience a crime problem. The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police has been warning us for two years. They’ve been consistently vocal on social media, telling us that Indianapolis violence is “surging and spreading” to the suburbs.
In the last three months, our CVS experienced an armed robbery and a drive-by shooting sprayed bullets from 96th Street to 106th Street along Westfield Boulevard, resulting in two arrests for criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. And recently the Carmel Police Department released the hard data and crime statistics from January through September, and it showed residential entry, burglaries, damage to property and theft are all on the rise.
We need a mayor that will make public safety the No. 1 priority and has the courage to share a detailed public safety plan in writing.
Where does (Democratic mayoral candidate) Miles Nelson stand on these issues? We don’t know, because he hasn’t put a substantive plan forward. When pressed, like at the debates, he said “I plan on doing what Mayor Brainard has done…”. Or, “I’ll visit other cities and bring the best ideas back to Carmel.” That’s not enough. We need a leader, not a follower.
CPD has vetted both candidates and Carmel FOP Lodge 185 has endorsed (Republican mayoral candidate) Sue Finkam. I’m not a public safety expert, but I’m listening to our experts and I’m voting for Sue!
Marilee J. Springer, Carmel
