February 22, 2024
Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave
Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave
MUSGRAVE ISSUES STATEMENT ON REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR DUCKWORTH
Evansville, IN – I’ve spent my career fighting government corruption. I answered the call to serve, and have held taxes down, blazed a trail for government information on the Internet, built roads and trails, improved and expanded parks, cleared blighted properties, found financing for hundreds of tree plantings, created litter eradication programs, delivered universal broadband to the unincorporated county, and more. I simultaneously raised two highly successful children and stayed happily married to my husband. As my voting record proves, I am a loyal Republican.
These ideals of selfless government service are not upheld by Mike Duckworth. Mr. Duckworth began his career as a Sheriff’s Deputy. During this time, he was accused of falsifying evidence and falsely recording his timesheets, bilking the taxpayers of $14,000. These troubling incidents serve as the foundation of my lack of faith in Mr. Duckworth’s integrity, leading me to the conclusion that he is unfit to hold any elected office.
Mr. Duckworth lost both the Mayor’s office and all but one City Council seat in the last election, despite over a million dollars in resources. He followed that fiasco by appearing at the VIP reception of the Democrat Mayor’s Inaugural Ball while continuing to further his financial interests as a consultant for Commonwealth Engineers, which holds numerous government contracts.
This background may in part explain why Mr. Duckworth has stooped to the even lower level of actively supporting a liberal Democrat for County Commissioner in this year’s Republican primary. His similar actions last year tore the party apart and handed Evansville city government complete democratic control.
Mr. Duckworth demonstrates his character and his aims, and they are not the character and aims of the Republican Party. He should resign his post as County Chair immediately.
We need a Republican Party Chair who is a uniter and not a divider pursuing his agenda. We need a Republican Party Chair who competently leads and manages Republican interests in campaigns.
