The 1947 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 4, 1947, and saw the election of Democrat William H. Dress returned to office for a third nonconsecutive term, unseating Republicanincumbent Manson Reichert. Dress was only the second individual in the city's history to win three mayoral elections.[3]
Due to a change in state election law after the previous election, the election was moved to 1947. As a result, the preceding term of incumbent Reichert was extended to 1948, giving him an unprecedented five-year term as mayor before this election.[4]
The 1951 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 6, 1951, and saw the election of Republican nominee Henry O. Roberts. Roberts defeated Democraticincumbent Edwin F. Diekmann, who had been appointed as mayor following the November 1949 death in office of William H. Dress.[3]
The 1955 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 8, 1955, and saw the election of Democratic nominee Vance Hartke.
Hartke, the chairman of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party organization, had faced city recreation director James R. Newcom in the Democratic primary election. The primary was competitive.[6]
In early June, during the general election, thirteen supporters of Hartke's vanquished primary election opponent, Newcom, filed a complaint under Indiana's Corrupt Practices Act of 1945. The complaint related to $8,000 that had been raised by a Jefferson–Jackson Day dinner, which these supporters of Newcom alleged was used to assist Hartke's candidacy, but should instead have been used to assist the Democratic Party in general.[7][8] The lawsuit alleged that Hartke's campaign manager, Sheriff Frank McDonald, had therefore misused the proceeds from the dinner banquet.[9] The lawsuit was dismissed in late August, after the plaintiffs refused to post a $500 cost bond.[9]
Republican nominee Curtis Huber was a real estate man, who found himself in conflict with the local county Republican Party organization.[10]
The general election campaign between Hartke and Huber was considered to be one of the harshest up to that point in the city's history.[11]
In the coinciding city council election, Hartke's Democratic Party won seven seats, capturing all but two seats (with those two seats coming from wards that were considered to be overwhelmingly Republican-leaning ).[10][11] The Democratic nominee also won the city clerk race and a race for city judge.[10] At the time, Vanderburgh County (which had voted for the national winner of every previous United States presidential election going back to 1892) was regarded as a political barometer, thus, attention was paid to the Democratic Party landslide in Evansville, the county seat of Vanderburgh County.[10] Ultimately, however, Vanderburgh County, and the nation, would end up voting for the Republican ticket in the subsequent 1956 United States presidential election.[citation needed]
The 1963 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 5, 1963, and saw the reelection of Democraticincumbent Frank F. McDonald. He defeated former mayor Henry O. Roberts, the Republican nominee.[12]
The 1967 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 7, 1967, and saw the reelection of Democraticincumbent Frank F. McDonald to a third consecutive term. This made him the first mayor to win a third consecutive term in the city's history.[14]
City Council president William L. Brooks defeated William Arendell, a former coroner, in the Democratic Party primary. Brooks had boasted the endorsement of outgoing mayor Frank F. McDonald, and was considered the front-runner in the primary.[15]
Russell G. Lloyd Sr. won the Republican Party primary against a single opponent. Lloyd entered the primary with the support of the local Republican organization.[15]
Lloyd's victory, with a 9,158, was considered impressive and surpisingly large.[16] His victory came amid a bad municipal election year for Indiana's Republican Party. Along with the Indianapolis mayoral election, Evansville's election marked one of only two Republican mayoral victories in the state's larger municipal areas with Democrats winning the elections in East Chicago, Fort Wayne, Gary, Hammond, South Bend, and Terre Haute.[16]
In the coinciding city council election, Republicans won 8 seats, and Democrats won one.[17]
The strong Democratic performance came despite outgoing mayor McDonald having been seen, prior to the election, as having established one of the strong city and county Democratic organizations in the state.[15]
Incumbent mayor Michael Vandeveer faced token opposition from two challengers. While neither opponent were seen as posing a strong challenge to Vandeveer, more serious of the two candidates running against Vandeveer in the primary was Berta Hammerseen, a former university professor and former member of the Evansville Housing Authority. Hammerstein criticized Vandeveer for the financial troubles of the city, and for shortcomings in regards to economic development in the city. Mark R. Chellgren of the Associated Press wrote shortly before the day of the primary, "the tone of her attacks has put off some party regulars, who give her little chance to unseat Vandeveer". Vandeveer's other challenger was Larry Williams, who did not do much in regards to campaigning.[23]
Four-term city councilman and high school teacher David Koehler won the Republican nomination.[23][24] Running against him in the Republican primary was and former two-term Vanderburgh Countysheriff James DeGroote.[23]
Koehler had the backing of the local Republican Party organization, which provided his campaign with organizational and financial support.[23] DeGroote dedicated himself as a full-time campaigner.[23]
Both candidates argued that economic development should be the first priority of Evansville's mayor. The campaign between them was not focused on issues, but rather on personality. Also effecting the race was debate over the influence of the county Republican chairman, Bob Whitehouse.[23]
Koehler worked to soften his public image. Despite being seen as a good manager, Mark R. Chellgren of the Associated Press wrote that he was seen as having, "little regard for the people side of government".[23]
DeGroote ran, in large part, on both his record as sheriff, and on presenting himself with a friendly image.[23]
Early into the campaign, the Republican Party had hopes that its nominee might be able to unseat Vendeveer. However, Koehler's candidacy failed to create momentum.[25]
Koehler alleged that Vandeveer was guilty of "fiscal mismanagement", often pointing to a financial crisis that the city government had faced in 1981. Koehler also accused Vandeveer of subjecting residents to too many new fees, while also alleging that Vandeveer did not make the best use of the revenues generated by these fees. Koehler also attacked Vandeveer for his shortcomings in attracting economic development.[25]
Vandeveer insisted that the city's economic issues were largely attributable to the ongoing early 1980s recession, and predicted that the city would see improved economic fortunes by the end of the decade.[25]
Both nominees were in agreement that the state of Indiana should pass legislation to establish a new local option income tax, as well as provide additional new methods for city's such as Evansville to generate more revenue.[25]
The 1987 Evansville, Indiana mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987, and saw the reelection of Democraticincumbent Frank F. McDonald II, a city councilman who had been serving as interim mayor since May (having been appointed interim mayor on May 23, 1987, by the city council after mayor Michael Vandeveer resigned in order to accept a lobbyist job).[26][27]
Days before announcing his plans to resign, incumbentMichael Vandeveer was renominated by his party.[27] He had been unopposed for the nomination.[28] After Vanderveer announced his resignation, Frank F. McDonald II was selected by Democratic leaders to fill his place. McDonald was also appointed by the city council to serve as interim mayor until the winner of the election would take office.[26]
The election was considered a low-key race.[34] Discussion largely centered upon the city's upcoming riverboat casino, which would open the month after the election.[34]
Incumbent Russell G. Lloyd was challenged by Douglas DeGroot, who ran a frugal campaign.[40] DeGroot's performance in the vote was regarded as surprisingly strong.[41]
2003 was a good year for Democrats in Indiana's mayoral elections, with the party winning control of the mayoralties of all of the state's top seven most populous cities for the first time since 1959.[42] The Democratic Party also won control of the mayoralties in twenty of the state's thirty cities with populations above 25,000.[42] Additionally, in 2003, Democrats won more than 56% of partisan mayoral races in Indiana.[43]
During the general election, Vanderburgh County, where Evansville is located, saw voter turnout of 25% in its various elections.[44]
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