Mayor and council seats are on Indiana primary ballot in Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville

Central Indiana voters have important decisions to make for local elections in their communities on May 2 primary ballots.

In Hamilton County, longtime Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook announced they aren’t running for reelection, resulting in competitive Republican primaries to replace them. In Carmel, the Republican primary winner will face a Democrat in November. None have filed in Westfield.

Early voting is underway across the state. Check your voter registration and look at a sample ballot at the Indiana Secretary of State’s website at indianavoters.in.gov.

Live Indiana election coverage: Get the latest from the polls, results as Election Day is underway

You can also find a virtual ballot and candidate profiles at The Indiana Citizen, indianacitizen.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit aiming to help inform voters ahead of Election Day.

Here are the Hamilton County races to watch on May 2.

2023 Republican primary for Carmel mayor

In Carmel, the Republican primary for mayor is the first test to see who will replace Brainard.

Brainard stepped into the primary earlier this month to endorse restaurateur Kevin “Woody” Rider, who has served on the Carmel City Council for 16 years and the city’s plan commission for 12.

Rider faces Republican competitors Sue Finkam, who also serves on the Carmel council, and former Hamilton County Councilor Fred Glynn, who unsuccessfully ran for state representative in 2022 and mayor in 2019.

Indiana elections: Future direction of Carmel is on the ballot in May with Brainard retiring

2023 Primaries: Early voting for municipal primary: What you need to know in Indianapolis metro area

Elections 2023: Rider continues fundraising lead in Carmel mayor race, but 2 candidates catch up

Rider leads Finkam and Glynn with a massive campaign war chest, more than five times that of his closest competitor. And those donations have drawn criticism from Finkam, who in front of hundreds of people at a debate at the Palladium in March accused Rider of threatening campaign donors with no city contracts if they don’t support his run for mayor.

Rider has strongly denied those accusations. IndyStar was not able to independently verify Finkam’s statement.

Both Finkam and Rider also have launched TV ads ahead of the primary, a sign of how competitive this race has become.

The winner of the Republican Primary will face Democrat Miles Nelson in the general election in November in what's increasingly turning from a red to a purple city.

2023 Carmel City Council primaries

In total, 22 candidates filed to run for Carmel City Council seats ahead of the May primaries.

That number includes six Democrats, setting up several contested races in November.

2023 Indiana election: 5 takeaways from Carmel City Council primary races

But no matter who wins in May and November, Carmel will see a majority-new city council in 2024 as only four incumbents filed to run for reelection. With a new mayor, that could give the city council a stronger voice in the future of the city.

2023 Republican primary for Westfield mayor

The winner of the Republican primary for mayor of Westfield is likely to become the city’s next leader, as no candidates from other parties have yet come forward.

Plan commission member Kristen Burkman, city councilor and high school football coach Jake Gilbert and City Councilor Scott Willis are running to replace longtime Mayor Andy Cook.

Indiana elections 2023: Westfield candidates share visions to replace longtime Mayor Andy Cook

The three candidates have campaigned on building up Westfield’s commercial tax base, revitalizing downtown Westfield and bringing respect back to city government after years of public arguments and lawsuits among elected leaders.

Westfield City Council 2023 primaries

After three years of combative relationships between the Westfield City Council and Mayor Andy Cook, the council is primed for high turnover with upcoming elections.

Just two of seven incumbents are running for reelection. And for the first time in years, Democrats are on the ballot in two Westfield Council races, setting up elections in November.

More elections coverage: 4 takeaways from the Westfield City Council races

Noblesville City Council 2023 primaries

Two of Noblesville’s longest-serving city council members are not running for reelection, which has led to two competitive city council primary races.

District 5 Councilor Greg O’Connor is leaving his seat at the end of 2023 after serving 16 years. Republicans Dave Johnson, a geologist, and Rocky Shanehsaz, owner of a downtown conference and banquet center, are running for the seat.

More coverage: New faces bound for Noblesville city council as incumbents depart

At-large councilor Brian Ayers is retiring at the end of 2023 after serving 20 years on the council. Five Republicans and one Democrat are running for the seat, which will set up a general election race in November.

The Republicans running in May for the at-large seat include:

• Incumbent at-large councilor Darren Peterson

• District 2 Councilor Pete Schwartz

• Evan Elliott, owner of Elliott Real Estate

• Mike Field, owner of Field Rubber Products

• Nick Gomillion, a senior Human Resources professional at SCA Health.

IndyStar reporter John Tuohy contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar's Carmel and Westfield reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter @CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana primary elections 2023: Key races on Hamilton County ballot