Police budgets, wastewater treatment, pothole repair, snow removal—areas overseen by a suburban mayor—are not always spectacular, but Carmel, Ind., Mayor James Brainard takes a longer-term view of his work.
The suburb Brainard oversees is immediately to the north of Indianapolis. It’s among the nation’s most affluent suburban communities, with a population of roughly 70,000 that has more than doubled since Brainard first took office in 1996. Carmel has grown nearly tenfold since residents in the 1970s decided to legally upgrade from town status into a city.