EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT)- The race for Evansville mayor is heating up. The three candidates who have filed for office faced off today during a forum.
“I am very excited to be in this room full of so many people who are interested in Evansville’s growth and opportunity,” says Natalie Rascher.
Rascher and Cheyrl Musgrave, the two Republican candidates and Stephanie Terry, the Democratic candidate sat before the Rotary Club of Evansville to discuss hot button issues. The candidates did not get very far into specifics on the issues, but one that did come up was public safety.
After the mass school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, the candidates say they want to see a change. Terry says one way is to give law enforcement the proper training, funding and staff.
“We need to be sure that the police department has the necessary resources to do their job,” Terry says.
“The police deserve to be supported with full staffing, competitive pay, proper equipment and adequate training. Our city’s safety is on the line and our future is on the line. Only ten years ago, we had 129 officers on patrol, 129 officers ready to take the call. Today we only have 107,” Musgrave says.
“We have talked a lot about public safety today but we have not really identified anything outside of just police officers. Yesterday in Nashville, the very first responders to the school’s shooting was the fire department. All of these agencies work together. They collaborate together to make sure we are safe in a multitude of ways,” Rascher says.
The candidates say they want to help Evansville continue to diversify, and they each say the city needs to make more of a commitment to treating mental health issues.
