Mayoral candidates hold forum at Rotary meeting, Libertarian candidate joins race
By A’Leeyah Ponder and WFIE Staff
Published: Mar. 28, 2023 at 3:29 PM EDT
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Nashville’s School shooting sparked conversations among mayoral candidates about gun violence in the Rotary meeting.
Democratic candidate Stephanie Terry says public safety officials should be working together, especially in times like these.
“We can’t even educate our kids because we’re challenged with and concerned about our safety, but I think the continued presence of local law enforcement in our schools is vital to ensure again that our kids are safe,” said Terry.
Republican candidate Natalie Rascher says she plans to approach gun violence by bringing engagement resources to areas with high rates of crime.
“It’s not just police officers that are there more often such as the walking Wednesdays program that our EPD currently does, but it’s ya know more firefighters that are there, more street cleaning,” said Rascher. “They’re making sure that sidewalks are cleaned up. It’s this idea of taking a neighborhood by neighborhood approach "
Republican candidate Cheryl Musgrave says she plans to make supporting first responders a priority.
“The first thing that we need to do is make sure that the police are properly funded and that they have the staffing and the resources and the training that they need, “ said Musgrave. “So that is at the core of my agenda”
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Libertarian candidate Michael Daugherty says he’ll combat gun violence by tackling understaffed positions.
“Additional training with our law enforcement and staffing them properly with mental health training would be an ideology that I would move for,” said Daugherty.
Daugherty says he filed to run as an Evansville Mayor Candidate on Tuesday.
According to Rotary leaders, he did not participate in the forum because he had not yet filed by the deadline.
Daugherty was there, however, and spoke with us.
