An Evansville pastor has announced he’s running for mayor as an Independent.
Steve Ary is a pastor at the non-denominational CityGate Indiana church on Evansville’s east side.
He calls himself a constitutional conservative, and his fifteen-item agenda includes everything from cutting government spending to building a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Highway 41 and the Washington Avenue.
This isn’t Ary’s first time in the spotlight. He was the public face of the push against Drag Queen Story Hour.
He says he has been thinking about running for a few years, but the recent expunging of his teenage criminal record finally made that possible. (Ary says he robbed a friend's house when he was 17).
He has until July 1 at noon to present the signatures of more than 664 registered Evansville voters to the election office.
He didn’t know how many signatures he had when we spoke Monday afternoon, but he said he’s not worried.
"After making the announcement, I have so many people reach out to me and express that they’re happy I’m running and express that they’re going to be voting for me," Ary said.
He’ll be the third candidate in the race if he hits the threshold, joining Libertarian Bart Gadau and incumbent Republican mayor Lloyd Winnecke.
Reporter's note: The previous version of the story misstated the number of signatures Ary's petition needed. That number was based on incorrect information provided by the election office.