CARMEL, Ind. -- After a week of consideration, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard has decided not to seek the Congressional spot left vacant by U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks.
Rep. Brooks was running for re-election representing Indiana's 5th Congressional District, but resigned from the race to be considered as the GOP candidate for Indiana's Governor, the spot left vacant by current governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence.
Brainard said he received calls encouraging him to run for Brooks' vacant seat.
"I was honored by the many calls of encouragement but at the same time, I was deeply humbled to receive even more calls and emails from friends and fellow residents who wanted me to remain as mayor of Carmel," Brainard said in a release Monday.
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Brainard won re-election to an unprecedented sixth term as Carmel's mayor in 2015. He has spearheaded much of the city's development over the past 20 years, including the elevated roundabouts on Keystone Avenue, the revitalization of the Arts & Design District and the creation of City Center and the $180 million Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts.
"I really love being mayor and we have a lot yet to do in Carmel," Brainard said. "I get excited every day to come to work. We've built a city here where I think anybody in the world can succeed, there's good jobs, it's a beautiful and safe place to live."
Read Mayor Brainard's full statement on the decision below:
