State Representative Gail Riecken is considering a run for Evansville mayor.
The Democrat tells the Courier and Press that she’s “very concerned with the finances of the city” and what she calls “liberal, excessive spending by the mayor.”
First-term Republican Lloyd Winnecke has said he will run for re-election next year.
Winnecke has championed two major Downtown projects: a convention hotel and an IU medical school. Democrats who control the city council unanimously approved $77 million in bonding for the two projects, but the council and Winnecke fought over the city’s 2015 budget. Council leaders argued the budget did not balance and cash reserves were sinking.
Riecken has represented Indiana House District 77 since 2009. She’s a former city parks director and City Council member. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1999.
A month-long filing period for candidates in the 2015 city election starts January 7th.