When Evansville Business magazine interviewed Mayor Lloyd Winnecke in March for the “Back Talk” story in the April/May 2022 issue, a big decision loomed: whether or not he would run for a fourth term.
Three months later, he had his answer. On July 11, Winnecke announced he would not seek reelection in 2023, ending a 23-year political career that started on the Vanderburgh County Council in 1999 and paving the way for a new leader to take the city’s helm.
Looking back on that March conversation, there were inklings Winnecke was inching toward political retirement after more than a decade in office. Declaring that being a grandfather is “the best job,” Winnecke’s election statement mentioned a desire of more time and flexibility to spend with family.
“It’s been the most fulfilling 11 years of my professional career,” he says. “I’m very much at peace with the decision to not run again.”
During his tenure as Evansville’s third longest-serving mayor, Winnecke has led a collaborative effort to oversee construction of projects such as the Deaconess Aquatic Center; guide a campus of Indiana University’s School of Medicine to Downtown Evansville; introduce mental health initiatives, including $6 million in funding for a mental health crisis diversion center; and help the city weather the fallout from an unprecedented pandemic.
“Nothing of any significance, specifically the work done every day to improve the lives of those who call our city home, would have been possible without a collective, unified effort by the community,” he said in July. “Any achievements my administration has had were because of the people of this city, and that will always be the case.”
As of press time, Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave was the only person to have declared their candidacy for next year’s mayoral race. According to the Vanderburgh County Election Office, the deadline to file for the 2023 election is noon Feb. 3, 2023.