Meet the GOP lawyer who wants to challenge Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears
Cyndi Carrasco, Gov. Eric Holcomb's former deputy general counsel, will announce her campaign this morning.
Courtesy: Cyndi for Indy.
Indianapolis Republicans officially have a candidate for Marion County prosecutor—a race they see as winnable after the incumbent has found himself mired in headlines chronicling rising crime and questioning his conduct surrounding the FedEx shooting last year.
Cyndi Carrasco, 41, Gov. Eric Holcomb's now-former deputy general counsel, said Tuesday she will challenge Democratic incumbent Ryan Mears.
“We deserve better,” Carrasco, a native of El Paso, Texas, said in a statement Tuesday morning. “More than ever, Marion County needs a prosecutor who is willing to lead and make our community safe again. A prosecutor who will advocate for victims and get help to those who need it. A prosecutor who will partner with all public safety stakeholders and who will hold violent criminals accountable.”
A spokesman for Mears’ campaign did not immediately comment. Mears has faced scrutiny in recent weeks based on his failure to use Indiana’s red flag law. The city, like many others across the nation, also saw a record number of homicides in 2021.
“There is no question that the current prosecutor's inability and refusal to do the job is fueling the public safety crisis,” Marion County Republican Chairman Joe Elsener said about Carrasco’s entry to the race. “Whether it has been the FedEx tragedy or example after example of Prosecutor Mears not holding violent repeat offenders accountable, it is clear Indianapolis deserves better. Cyndi Carrasco is the leader Indianapolis needs in this time of crisis. I am glad she has stepped up to become our capital city's top public safety official.”
In an interview, Carrasco, a Perry Township resident and daughter of Mexican immigrants who also served as former Gov. Mike Pence’s inspector general and began her career in former Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration, talked with me about why she decided to run, and her theory of the case.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Marion County Republican Party will select its nominee on Feb. 5. The primary is scheduled for May 3.
How long have you been weighing a challenge to incumbent Democratic prosecutor Ryan Mears?
It's a decision that I did not come to lightly. I've been really thinking about whether or not to do this race. I've been a public servant my entire career. I've not been in politics. Politics is new to me. But I really started thinking about this about six months ago. I started considering whether or not I should put my name in the ring, if you will, or my hat in the ring, so that I could try to make a difference to make our city safe.
I had conversations with my husband and my family. And we came to the consensus that if running for this race could mean that it could be an opportunity to get our city back to what it was a few years ago, absolutely. It would be time well spent. And we made the decision to do it.
I left the governor's office as deputy general counsel less than a week ago, because I am fully committed to running this race. After almost 17 years in state government, it was a big move, but one that I absolutely felt comfortable with, because this is the right thing to do. I'll be joining a law firm at the beginning of February, and I'll be of counsel with Riley Bennett.
Why this race, why now?
Our community is facing a public safety crisis. And we deserve better. The prosecutor is the top public safety official of the county and should be the one setting the tone, and leading the way really to make our city safe. We deserve a prosecutor that's going to be a better advocate for victims, we deserve a prosecutor that's going to hold violent and repeat criminal offenders accountable. And quite frankly, we deserve a prosecutor that's going to work with stakeholders like the courts, law enforcement, and other community stakeholders to make a difference.
There's been much written, by The Indianapolis Star and others, about how the prosecutor handled Indiana's Red Flag Law with respect specifically to the FedEx shooting this past year. How much did that episode play into your decision to run?
Unfortunately, the FedEx tragedy is one of the clearest examples that demonstrate our prosecutor's failed leadership. The family begged for the eventual shooter to be prevented from buying weapons. The tools were there. And the prosecutor did nothing. So yes, absolutely, this played into my analysis of whether or not to run for this office. I want to make a difference. I want to make a difference for my community. And I want to act.
Another big policy decision the incumbent prosecutor made was not to prosecute simple possession of marijuana. Is that an approach that you would change if you were elected to this position?
I'm really glad you asked about this, because I want to talk to you about my approach, not only to marijuana but really all criminal offenses. I believe that every case is different. And the job of a prosecutor is to take each case, and we evaluate on a case by case basis, and then with a common-sense approach, make charging decisions, what's going to make sense in this particular case, because again, every case is different. What I'll tell you is I'm not going to categorically ignore a certain law because I don't believe that the job of the prosecutor is to be making the laws it's to be enforcing the laws.
And with regard to that theory of prosecutorial conduct, would you rule out the death penalty, broadly speaking, as a tool for justice, or would you be supportive of it in some cases?
The decision to pursue the death penalty is a decision that should not be taken lightly and really reserved for very, very limited circumstances. I understand what it would mean to pursue to take the life of another human being. And I would not go into the analysis of whether or not it's appropriate—again, on a case by case basis—lightly. It's a very serious decision.
How confident are you that you're going to be the Republican candidate? And what sort of support have you been promised from people like your former employer, Gov. Holcomb?
I'll tell you, I am. As I talked to everyone around the county, I've told them about my work ethic. My work ethic is: I am a hard, hard worker. I will work to touch every part of this entire county for the next 11 months, and I will make sure that I earn everybody's support, I will work to demonstrate that I am the right person to bring consensus to the stakeholders, of all the people that it takes to bring about public safety. I believe that the consensus around our county is that we want a leader, we want somebody who's going to step up.
Do you agree with Mayor Joe Hogsett's decision to invest a historic amount of federal funding into public safety?
I'm supportive of anyone that wants to invest dollars in public safety. I think that the Marin County prosecutor's office is a place that needs to be looked at for public safety dollars. I think that I will partner with the mayor or any other stakeholder that be that would be interested in coming to the table to have a discussion about how we collectively will curb this public safety crisis.
What should I have asked that I didn't? Is there anything you'd like to add?
I really considered this decision very carefully. I finally came to the conclusion that the status quo just isn't working. A public safety crisis is really hurting our residents, and it's hurting the reputation of our city. We deserve better. And we need a prosecutor who's willing to stand up and lead. And I really believe I'm that person.