A couple of Henderson public figures have been hired to work in Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry’s administration.
Robert Gunter, who has been the city of Henderson’s finance director since 2004, has been tapped to be the Evansville city controller.
Lindsay Locasto, who has worked as the president of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce since 2021, will serve as Terry’s deputy mayor.
Locasto posted on her Facebook account that she is “filled with excitement for the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead.”
“I want to extend my heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me these past few days,” she wrote. “Your belief in me has meant the world, and I am truly grateful for my friendships and family.”
She also wrote that Henderson is a wonderful place and she’s grateful for all that the town has done for her.
Locasto, a Newburgh native, worked for four years at the Henderson Downtown Project before taking the Chamber president position.
Past Chamber board chair Lin Shannon, who just transitioned from chair, said he will meet with current chair Eric Gardner later this week to start putting together a plan to find Locasto’s successor. Shannon said Locasto will still be with the Chamber some days in January and will be able to aid with the transition.
According to a report from the Courier and Press, the deputy mayor position last year paid $96,937.
Gunter is scheduled to retire from the city of Henderson on Feb. 29. The city of Henderson has just hired Gunter’s replacement, Chelsea Mills. City officials wanted to make an early hire so that Gunter’s replacement could learn from him before he left.
Gunter said he will be with the city until his scheduled last day, helping Mills get adjusted. But he said he will be using accrued Henderson vacation time so that he can take some days to get started in the city controller position in Evansville. He said on March 1, he’ll start there full-time.
Gunter said Mills is more than a worthy replacement.
“She’s fantastic,” he said. “In three months, you guys will say, ‘Now who was Robert?’”
Gunter lives in Vanderburgh County. In 2002, he moved from Arkansas to take the financial aid director position at Vincennes University. Two years later, he was hired here.
Gunter, 58, said he had every intention of taking a few months off after his retirement and then look for something, but then saw the job posting and decided to apply. From there, it moved quickly, he said.
The city controller for Evansville is the chief financial officer, managing the city’s finance department.
According to a report from the Courier and Press, the controller position paid $102,187 in 2023.
Gunter said the new position will bring challenges, one being the size of the budget he’ll deal with, about $400 million, which is almost four times the size of Henderson’s, he said.
But he said the position will be a bit less taxing in other areas. For example, the city controller does not deal with utility billing and collection, as the finance director in Henderson does, he said.
Gunter said he’ll miss “the sincere, kind people” who work in the city’s finance department.
“They’re the ones that make the finance department look good,” he said.