Alex Burton officially entered the race Friday afternoon for one of the vacant seats on the Evansville city council.
Dozens of supporters came out for the filing. Among the faces was Connie Robinson, who currently holds the fourth-ward seat.
The Courier and Press reported last week that the long-time Democratic councilwoman wouldn’t seek re-election and was endorsing Burton. He calls Robinson a mentor.
"She’s my city councilwoman so if there was ever an issue or ever a concern, I’d talk directly with her," Burton said, "just someone there as a thought partner and just willing to listen and give her opinion, her insight.”
Burton, a Democrat, works for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. He ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in 2015.
Burton said he’s a consensus-builder. He wants to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to address issues like housing and food access.
The fourth ward covers downtown and a few neighborhoods to the south and east. It’s heavily Democratic and as of Friday afternoon, Burton is running unopposed.