I am looking for advice on trimming a maple tree in my back yard.

My wife and I recently purchased a house. The house was a foreclosure and was vacant for a long time and alot of work is needed inside and out.

There is a maple in the back yard that I am thinking of trimming but i dont want to hurt the tree. I am trying to make the tree into a centerpiece of the back yard.

As you can see in the picture, there is a very low split or crotch. The branch on the right goes all the way up with very little side branches off of it. The branch on the left (the main tree) is very healthy and will have a nice shape if the other side is removed. The circumfrance of the left branch is 21" and the smaller one on the right is 9".

What do you think? Cut it or leave it alone? Thanks!