Kelsey Hargis may be a newcomer to the political scene but is a seasoned veteran in her work with community organizations.
The community enrichment officer at Independence Bank, Hargis filed Friday to be a candidate for a seat on the Henderson Board of Commissioners.
Hargis said she received a lot of encouragement from many in the community to run.
“Without that support, I don’t think I would have made this decision,” she said.
Hargis, 34, has been in her position at Independence Bank since 2015.
The list of organizations and activities she’s involved with in the community is long and includes:
- Board member of Henderson Chamber of Commerce
- President of Rotaract (Rotary under 35 group)
- Chair of the board for the Henderson Tourist Commission
- Member of Henderson Vision Committee
- Member of Holy Name Alumni Committee
- Graduate of Henderson Leadership Initiative
- Member of Bluegrass in the Park Committee
- Bank One instructor for the Volunteer and Information Center
Hargis said she’s proud of the progress that has been made in Henderson recently and wants to keep that going. She said she didn’t have specific initiatives yet that she wanted to push for as a commissioner.
“I just want to keep the momentum going,” she said.
She added that she believes city government should be run like a business and politics sometimes “overshadows how a business should run.”
Henderson has many organizations that currently work together to get things done, and she said she looks forward to continuing that spirit as a commissioner.
Hargis graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2012 with a bachelor of science in public relations. She is a 2008 graduate of Henderson County High School.
She is married to husband, Zeb.
“I truly think that I can help Henderson, and that’s what I want to do,” she said.
With the passing of Friday’s 4 p.m. filing deadline, the field for the Henderson City Commission race is set. Rodney Thomas, Tom Williams, Robert Pruitt, Nick Whitt, Dwight Williams and Hargis will vie for the four seats. Because the number of candidates did not exceed eight, there will not be a May primary election for this race.
The Hendersonian has introduced Whitt, Hargis, Williams and Thomas in our recent coverage. We will introduce Pruitt and Williams in future e-newsletters.
