Candidates kept the election office busy Friday morning. A handful of Democrats and one former Democrat filed to run for city offices.
In front of supporters, four Democrats handed in their paperwork one after the other and officially swore that they meet the requirements for office.
Kaitlin Moore Morley, a political newcomer, is running for an at-large city council seat. She’s a chaplain by profession.
"I’ve spent years listening to people and becoming excited about their stories and their needs and then working to meet them," she said. "I’m kinda excited to move it forward into the city."
She said her job at the moment is to connect with voters. "My agenda right now is to meet as many people as possible and hear what they love about the city, what they want to change about the city, and then build my agenda from there," she said.
Zachary Heronemus, a real estate agent, has entered the race for the third ward’s seat on city council, currently held by Republican John Hayden. He's been a chief deputy treasurer and ran unsuccessfully for county clerk in 2016.
"Public service has always been a passion of mine. I feel that Evansville in a good place right now," he said. "I want to be just another catalyst to make sure the city of Evansville is stronger."
Heronemus said the sewer mandate is one of the item's on his agenda.
"I hope to work with the administration...to hopefully offset some of these costs because it is a burden on a lot of our taxpayers and most importantly our businesses as well," he said.
Long-time city councilman Steve Melcher, a Democrat-turned-Republican, filed to run later Friday morning. Melcher is coming out of retirement to run for the same third-ward seat, which he held for 17 years before serving eight years as a county commissioner.
He said the election will come down to experience. "I've got the well-rounded knowledge to do this," he said.
Melcher wants to work closely with the city's administration. "I want to work with Mayor Winnecke on some of the programs he's got going," he said.
When asked, Melcher declined to specify which programs.
"I'm sure we're going to be meeting with the mayor," Melcher said, "and he's going to have some things."
Melcher said mayor Lloyd Winnecke deserves a Republican-controlled council. Democrats currently hold a majority of the council's nine seats.
Unlike the fanfare of the Democrats' mass filing, which was attended by a number of prominent city Demorcats like councilmembers Missy Mosby, Connie Robinson, and Jonathan Weaver, Melcher's filing was much smaller. He was joined only by his wife, Vanderburgh County GOP Chair Wayne Parke, and Republican city councilwoman Michelle Mercer.
Incumbent sixth-ward councilman Jim Brinkmeyer and city clerk Laura Windhorst, both Democrats, also declared their candidacies at the Friday morning filing.