Q&A with new Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry
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Democrat Stephanie Terry was sworn in Monday as Evansville mayor, becoming the first woman and the first Black person to assume the post.
In November, the former executive director of the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville defeated Republican Natalie Rascher and Libertarian Michael Daugherty. Terry succeeds Republican Lloyd Winnecke who announced in 2022 that he wouldn’t seek a fourth term.
Terry spoke with Inside INdiana Business in December about her transition plans and priorities for the new year.
Why did you run for mayor of Evansville?
I know that there has always been something more that I was supposed to do. I came out of college with the mindset that I wanted to go back home and make an impact. Probably two years after I got out of college, I ran for school board because I was invested in doing something more.
My journey, over time, got away from politics, but I tried to run for city council at some point, was unsuccessful then, but still stayed engaged in social action work. I was active in my sorority, specifically in that. Every year I went to the Statehouse, went to D.C., and we met with legislators to try to make a meaningful change and keep a voice present about the things that were important to us. That just has stayed with me.
The mayor’s office is just across from the county council chambers. As a county council member, I walked past the wall of mayors [all photos of white men], and said to myself, ‘Will this ever change?’ In saying that, I never believed that I could be a part of making that change.
It hit me when Mayor Winnecke announced that he was not running … naturally, it provided an opportunity for me. And while a lot of people were trying to encourage me, I had to make that decision for myself. It finally reached that point … that I said, ‘This is your time. You have made a commitment and invested in people for a number of years, and you care about the forward progress of the city. Why not, Stephanie?’
When I got to that yes, immediately things went full speed ahead. And here I am today because of the hard work and commitment that we’ve put into play.
Tell me about your experience at the Harvard training program for new mayors in Boston.
It was an outstanding opportunity and experience for learning, but then also to be surrounded by others who are in my shoes. There were a great number of resources and tools that the program provided us, but more importantly, just the network alone that it has afforded me. I have 27 other mayors that I’m able to just pick up the phone and connect with as we are navigating very similar challenges just at different magnitudes.
I’m grateful for being selected, to have participated in that and look forward to the continuing education that they’re going to provide throughout 2024.
How are your transition meetings with Mayor Winnecke?
They’re going really well. He spent some time developing a transition booklet, where he outlined every department, their organizational structure, what are some upcoming projects and so forth. He’s been a great resource for us.
I can text him at any time if I have a question. He’s very responsive, and he has conveyed that same sentiment to his department heads. Anytime that I need information, I can get that. I’m looking forward to how we will continue to work together as he takes on his new role with Evansville Regional Economic Partnership.
How are you going about filling key positions in your administration?
We’ve been really strategic about that process. We actually posted all positions of our top department heads, and we’ve closed that down and started to vet and screen the applicants. We are interviewing everybody and having conversations with current department heads as well as those who are interested, new individuals and new talent that we can bring into the city administration. That process is going well.
We hope to make a number of announcements soon about those who we will retain, but also new leadership that will come in and work with me and alongside others in the city to continue moving our agenda forward.
What are your biggest priorities in the new year?
Top of mind, some of the big things that surface, public safety is always going to be at the top of the list. We’re going to spend a lot of time with neighborhood revitalization and making sure that it’s easy to do development in our community and that we can continue to increase affordable housing options.
We’re going to spend some time supporting and making sure that we’re providing the necessary support and wraparound services for young people in our community. As a municipality, that goes back to the neighborhoods. Clean, safe, affordable housing. Some of those basic needs have to be met to ensure that our children can be the best that they can be and ready for the learning environment.
There are a number of initiatives in our community that are already underway and projects that we’ll be positioned to help finish and start. They just announced a $2 million trails grant that our community is going to receive. So we’ll be a part of implementing that project along with a number of others.
For me, it’s about listening to the residents of this community, which we’ve done throughout the campaign, and we’ll continue to do that. To be sure that we form the necessary coalitions and engage the community in the decision-making process so that we’re stronger and that they feel a part of the forward progress.
How can Evansville improve when it comes to business development?
We’ve heard from the business community that it’s challenging to work with the city. We want to form a blue ribbon commission. Developers, contractors, trades. We’re going to have them all sitting at the table to talk about what’s working effectively in our community and what’s not. Then how can we cut some of that red tape to streamline processes so we can begin to turn more dirt in this community and make the right investment in development.
What does it mean to you to be Evansville’s first Black mayor and first female mayor?
It’s humbling to be in this place. It’s not something that I ever imagined could be possible. There have been a number of people … who said, ‘How in the heck did you win in Evansville?’ And that’s the reality.
I believe that I have served this community well in the roles that I’ve had previously. I serve in a manner that people have respected. They have rallied around me. Even now they want to see me succeed. There are so many people raising their hands to say, ‘How can we help and be a part of what you’re going to do for this city?’ It’s really heartwarming to see that.
More than anything, I am so glad that I’ve been blessed with this opportunity because there’s nobody who’s looked like me in this position, and I don’t want to fail. I’ve come too far. I want to be sure that I assemble the right team that surrounds me so we can make some meaningful impact on our city.