COUNTY COMMISSION CANDIDATE BRUCE UNGENTHIEM ON TRI-STATE VOICES SHOW

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bruceThis weeks show special guest will be candidate in the Republican Primary for the 3rd District County Commissioner seat Bruce Ungetthiem.    The Tri-StateVoices show was created by the City County Observer, recorded and edited by Wood and Woods law firm and produced by ME TV TRI-STATE.

The shows host is well known lawyer Mike Woods. The Tri-StateVoices program features current topics and issues of importance to this region.  This public affairs program is  a 30 minutes in length.  The City County Observer and Woods and Woods Tri-StateVoices show will aires on ME TV TRI-STATE  each week at 11:30 am and can viewed on the following TV Channels: Channels 36.1 and 20.1.  WOW 105.  Insight -186  and Time Warner -3 and 14.  If you miss the TRI-STATE VOICES  show on ME TV TRI-STATE you may view it on the City County Observer newly creative “MOLE TV” video channel located on this site.

Current County Commissioner Marsha Abell declined the invitation to appear on this program with Mr. Ungethiem.  Program host Mike Woods states “that it’s extremely disappointing  that Commissioner Abell declined the opportunity to come on the Tri-State Voices Show. This was a great chance for Ms. Abell to allow the voters of Vanderburgh County to hear what she has achieved while she was in office over the 4 years.  It was also a great opportunity to learn more about what she wants to achieve during the next 4 years if she was re-elected to this position.  We are disappointed in Ms. Abell decision not to come on the show”.

Mr. Ungenthiem’s Qualifications

Bruce was born in Vanderburgh County 1955 and grew up in the Darmstadt area. He graduated from Scott elementary school in 1969 and Central High School in 1973. It was at Central high school where he got his first taste of public service while working for the late David Koehler on his city council campaign. Bruce applied and was accepted into Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and in 1977 graduated with a BS degree in Mechanical engineering and a minor in political Science.

Upon graduation, Bruce accepted a job offer from Mead Johnson as an engineer and returned to Vanderburgh County. He worked for Mead Johnson in various capacities over the next 33 years including, Project Engineer, Automation Manager, Latin American Regional Technical Manager, and North American Regional Technical Manager. During that time he managed many multimillion dollar projects and even larger capital budgets for Mead Johnson. As a result of these duties he has traveled and worked in several foreign counties including Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, China, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. Bruce retired from Mead Johnson in 2010 at the age of 55 to pursue other interests.

The same year he started with Mead Johnson he married his hometown sweetheart, Debbie, and they have been married for 36 years. They have two grown children, Jeremy and Derek who both reside in Vanderburgh County and six grand children ranging from age 8 to 11 months. Bruce and Debbie now enjoy being grandparents and spending time with the grandchildren.

Bruce continued his interest in public service when he returned to Vanderburgh County after graduating college. He joined the Scott Township Volunteer fire department where he served for over five years as a second class fireman and a certified EMT. Once his children got old enough, he gave up the fire department to serve as coach, organizer, commissioner and whatever else was needed to various athletic organizations as the two boys grew up. He was one of the founders of MOYBA (McCutchanville Oak Hill Youth Basketball Association) and Central Junior Basketball Association. He also served as the President of the Scott Township Youth Baseball program for 7 years. When the boys reached high school age, Bruce supported the athletic programs they were involved in at Central High School.

In 1996, commercial development came to his neighborhood in the form of a grain milling plant and there were many odor issues as a result. Bruce organized a group of concerned citizens and persuaded the owner of the milling plant and local county officials to fix the problem by spending several million dollars in improvements to their waste handling system to eliminate the odor issue. Shortly thereafter, Bruce ran in the Republican primary for County Council 2nd district against a 25 year incumbent. Although he did not win, the experience taught him a lot about local government.

In 2008, talks began to surface about another attempt to consolidate local government and Bruce became involved. After attending several meetings and realizing that local citizen input was not being listened to, Bruce decided to form a committee to change the plan. The original committee was called We The People and its mission was to change the plan so that it would be acceptable to all county residents. This attempt was not successful and the plan went forward to the ballot with few changes. Because the plan was not acceptable to many, Bruce and a group of concerned citizens then formed CORE (Citizens opposed to Reorganization in Evansville were Bruce served as Co Chairman and spokesperson. They worked diligently in a grass roots effort to inform people about the details of the plan and why it was not good for the county. Despite being outspent by a 4 to 1 margin, the question on the ballot was defeated by a 2 to 1 margin. Once this was accomplished, Bruce lead the same group of people to the Statehouse to change the reorganization laws so that in the future any reorganization plans will have to satisfy all areas of the county. This CORE organization is still active and working on other issues of local interest.

Now with the experiences he has had, Bruce has decided to again volunteer for public service again by filing for County Commissioner Second district. Bruce will use his many experiences in industry and the public sector to provide leadership in the community that is in tune with the public and a willingness to listen.

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13 COMMENTS

  2. That’s a shame Abell will be absent.

    Editor, not to be a spelling Nazi but; Mr. Ungenthiem’s/Ungethiem’s Qualifications

  3. Now THIS is the kind of people who I’d like to see on this show. I hated to miss his fundraiser today but I was the tour guide on the LST and had to work today.

    As soon as I hear back from his sign guy I’m going to be putting up a ton more of yard signs. The support from those wanting a ungethiem sign in their yard is off the charts. Bruce is more popular than a rock star here.

  6. Mr. Ungetheim has an impressive resume. He appears to be exactly the kind of public servant we need so desperately if the City and County are to avoid being sucked down the drain we’re circling.

  7. Just watched the show, and that was a goal-to-goal touchdown run; a 3 pointer from mid-court; a home run over the wall at Bosse Field! Great job Bruce.

  8. Wonder what Marsha Abell is hiding from the voters? She had a great chance to convince the voters to re-elect her to her 2nd term on the County Commission.

    Shame on Marsha Abell for not standing up and being accountable.

Comments are closed.