Meet Lindsay Locasto, Deputy Mayor
Hometown: Newburgh, Indiana
Age: 38
Family: Engaged
Education: Castle High School, Newburgh, Indiana; attended Western Kentucky University
Deputy Mayor Salary: $96,391
Lindsay Locasto loved her nine years in Henderson, Kentucky, during which she held key leadership roles โ president of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and earlier as executive director of the Downtown Henderson Partnership before it merged with the chamber.
But when new Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terryโs transition team contacted her about joining her administration, she was ready to relocate across the Ohio River.
Locasto lived in Evansville before moving to Henderson, and โby 2023 I knew I eventually wanted to move back,โ she says, adding that her engagement was one reason. โI really do believe it was a power greater than myselfย that brought me over. I didnโt know that it was going to happen, but it worked out perfectly for what I had hoped.โ
After accepting the job, Locasto met with Steve Schaefer, who was deputy mayor under former Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. The position was known as chief of staff previously, and Locasto also sat down with ex-Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfelโs chief of staff, Rose Young.
She says that because of her work with local government officials in Henderson, โI donโt feel like a fish out of waterโ at Evansvilleโs Civic Center. But sheโs had to make adjustments.
โEvery day is totally different,โ she says. โAnd itโs very, very fast paced. Thatโs probably the biggest shift โฆ just the pace of everything.โ
Locasto is a fast mover outside of work, as well, having completed four of the six major world marathons in Chicago, Illinois, Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, and London, England. Races in Berlin, Germany, and Tokyo, Japan, remain on her list.
Sheโs tied her running to her passion for stopping stigmas around drug addiction and bringing awareness to recovery options. Locastoโs brother, Sam, died in 2017 from a drug overdose, and she completed her previous world marathons in support of the Herren Project, which supports those goals. Locasto also co-founded 7 Sisters, a local organization focused on addiction issues.
What To Know About The Role Of The Deputy Mayor
As deputy mayor, Lindsay Locasto defines herself as Stephanie Terryโs โright hand gal.โ She attends meetings with Terry and works one-on-one with all departments within city government. โI can be a liaison between those department heads and the mayor,โ she explains. Since Terry canโt be in two places at once, Locasto helps in that respect. โAs you can imagine, there are a lot of requests for people wanting to meet with Mayor Terry, for her to be at events. So, when her calendar gets full, I may be the person that goes and fills in for her.โ
