Evansville Mayoral Race: Two candidates unopposed in primaries focused on November

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Four candidates are vying for the position of mayor in Evansville this coming November.

Two of the candidates can focus solely on the general election, with Libertarian Michael Daugherty and Democrat Stephanie Terry running unopposed in the primaries.

[PREVIOUS: Evansville’s Republican mayoral candidates discuss platforms ahead of primary]

Terry says for Evansville to grow, they will need to continue building on an already growing downtown area.

“Those are reasons that people stay,” Terry said. “We want to attract and retain talent but guess what, they want a vibrant downtown.”

Daugherty says he’s pivoted his focus to remote work. With the recent study from the Wall Street Journal showing Evansville as the third best city to move to for remote work, Daugherty wants to emphasize attracting qualified people.

“With the amount of remote work that’s starting to come from the pandemic, we need to attract a lot of qualified families to come here to get a lot of job growth in the area,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty also believes that with remote work comes a need to get outside, especially with families. He says that park funds will need to be evaluated and spent wisely.

“[At a point] To where families can go out and enjoy the weather and the green space that we have,” Daugherty said. “Downtown is lacking a lot of green space, but we can make up with that by maintaining our parks.”

Terry says adding more space can be tempting, but her focus will be on maintaining existing infrastructure.

“While we may be entertaining expanding and adding new green spaces, we also have to do a better job of maintaining the assets that we have,” Terry said.

Both candidates are Evansville natives, but their backgrounds differ. Terry says her work in government and the non-profit sector is important, but she says that she will lead from the heart.

“I just care about people, this is my home, and I believe in our potential but I believe more in the prosperity of its people. I just want to see us come together collectively to continue to move Evansville forward,” Terry said.

Daugherty prides himself on not being a career politician, but rather a new face in government looking to work in the best interest of the citizenry. He says his experience in the small business sector aligns with his emphasis on fiscal responsibility.

“I will be ready day one to work as their mayor, and I will make all decisions based on the best interest of every citizen,” Daugherty said.

Both Terry and Daugherty are the endorsed candidates from their respective parties, and will be vying for the mayoral position come November.

Copyright 2023 WFIE. All rights reserved.