Ben Shoulders Announces Candidacy for Vanderburgh County Commissioner, District 1

Ben Shoulders, a 37-year-old Evansville native, Wednesday announced his intention to run for Vanderburgh County Commissioner in the 2016 election.

Shoulders, a Democrat, will run for the District 1 seat currently occupied by Republican Joe Kiefer, who is not seeking re-election.  Campaign Manager Pat Tuley said the official filing will take place at 4:00 p.m. next Wednesday, January 27, with a campaign kick-off rally to follow at 5:00 p.m. at the FOP Lodge.

“I was born in Vanderburgh County; I grew up in Vanderburgh County. And after college, when it was time to decide where to start my family and pursue my professional career, I chose to come back to Vanderburgh County,” Shoulders said. “I’m running for Vanderburgh County Commissioner because I love this community, and I want to be part of its continued growth and help ensure that my children and all of the children in this community have the same opportunities for success that I had in growing up here.”

A devoted community advocate and civic leader, Shoulders is a corporate relationship manager at Old National Bank, and has spent 12 of his last 14 years in the banking industry.  During that time, he has served on several committees and not-for-profit boards; currently, he sits on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club, EVSC Foundation, Indiana University Alumni Association (local past president) and IU College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Board, as well as the Darrell Ragland Foundation and Corridor of Champions.  Shoulders is also the co-host of WNIN’s 88.3FM sports radio program Red Blue Hoops, and recently served as treasurer on the board of commissioners of the Convention and Visitors Bureau as an appointee of the Vanderburgh County Council.

Shoulders, a February 2011 Leadership Evansville graduate, has received numerous professional and community volunteer awards for his servant leadership, and is one of only six individuals within the region to be named in the “Top 20 Under 40: Emerging Leaders” by both the Evansville Business Journal (September 2011) and News4U Magazine (August 2015).

“Over the past eight years, I’ve had the opportunity to be work with several truly outstanding community organizations, and to be part of many of the exciting things that are happening in Vanderburgh County,” Shoulders said. “As Commissioner, I will use those experiences to continue to foster economic development in our region so that Vanderburgh County residents have access to good jobs. I will continue to work alongside Sheriff Dave Wedding to ensure that Vanderburgh County remains the safe community where families choose every day to raise their children.”

“And most importantly, I will work diligently to ensure that those children – MY children, YOUR children – inherit a vibrant, thriving community to raise THEIR families in.”

For more information, please contact Operations Manager Jenn Schultheis at 812-454-4577