The City-County Observer is excited to announce that CHERYL MUSGRAVE has been selected  as our final CCO “OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD” wInner for 2015.

This years awards luncheon will be held at Tropicana-Evansville Walnut rooms A and B. The registration begin at 11:30 am, the event officially starts at 12 noon on October 26, 2015. Reservations for this event may be obtain by calling Mollie Drake Schreiber at 812-760-4233 or e-email her at mdarke07@yahoo.com. Deadline for registration is October 15, 2014. Last years event was a sellout.

The “Outstanding Community Services Award” winners for 2015 are: Vanderburgh County Commissioner Joe Kifer, well respected local Attorney Joe Harrison, Jr, Indiana State Auditor Suzanne Crouch and former Vanderburgh County Sheriff and 8th District Congressmen Brad Ellsworth, Dr. Dan Adams, Dr Steven Becker MD, Tracy Zeller and Holly Dunn.

The City County Observer is proud to announce  our final Cheryl Musgrave as a 2015 Mole Award Winner for “Good Public Policy”.  Musgrave currently sits on the Vanderburgh County Board of Zoning Appeals, is a Commissioner on the Evansville Redevelopment Commission,  and was recently given credit by State Representative Gail Riecken for the idea of tying local permit approvals to a business demonstrating it is current on its real property and personal property taxes. Her ability to work with people of every party affiliation has kept her relevant to local government and a lauded decision maker for over twenty years. Her work for the community is done while she also is building her own business in Musgrave Consulting, LLC.

Musgrave’s family has long been involved in public service. After her grandfather’s B-17 Bomber crashed during a mission in World War 11 he was a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. Her father continued the family’s military service as a Sergeant in the United States Air Force, serving on bases in Europe and Alaska during the height of the Cold War. Thereafter her family settled in Greencastle, Indiana, and both of her parents entered politics. Her father served multiple terms on the Putnam County Council and was elected by the body as President. Her mother was elected Township Trustee-Assessor in Putnam County, and as County Chairman of her party.

Cheryl married Robert Musgrave, an Evansville  attorney and the United States Bankruptcy Chapter 13 Trustee, in 1979, the year they both graduated from DePauw University.  They moved to Evansville in 1983, and have made their home in the city’s historic Downtown.

Musgrave was first elected as the Vanderburgh County Assessor in 1994. When she arrived, the office staff still used typewriters and liquid correction fluid to process their paperwork. She updated and streamlined her office, adopting a hands-on approach to the job of assessing property values. She earned her Level I and Level II assessing certifications from the State of Indiana. She offered her staff nationally recognized training courses as well. Thanks to her improvements, Vanderburgh County was often the first county in the state to complete its reassessment.

Musgrave’s understanding of technology resulted in the creation of a website that was the first of its kind. Citizens were given constant access to both property records and sales information. The site went online in 1997, and has significantly altered the real estate industry in Vanderburgh County. Musgrave also took the lead in developing the county’s Geographic Information System an online map used by both the private and public sectors.

Cheryl was asked to serve on the Legislative Committee of the Association of Indiana Counties and was Legislative Co-Chairman of the County Assessor Association. Many of her suggestions and innovations have been incorporated into Indiana law.

Musgrave was elected Vanderburgh County Commissioner for District Three in 2004, and a year later became President of the Board of Commissioners. She was praised for her efforts to help victims of the Evansville tornado of November 2005 and also for accomplishments in economic development, improved government performance and road projects.

She was a member of the 1999-2000 Lugar Series Class.  The Lugar Series selects approximately 20 women annually to participate in a year-long leadership training program.

In the summer of 2007, Governor Mitch Daniels appointed Cheryl as Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance in an effort to respond to widespread outrage and protests at local property tax assessment increases. Cheryl reigned in the growth of local governments’ budgets. She also led reforms in consolidating assessing at the county level. During her tenure, the State Legislature through a series of public referenda eliminated all but 13 of the state’s 1,016 township assessors.

Musgrave, a Republican, is a long term resident of the City of Evansville and is known for her no nonsense pragmatism when it comes to due diligence regarding the spending of public money. Her public policy background and accomplishments make her well deserving of the CCO “OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD”.