Here's who will lead Evansville's water utility as mayor selects department heads

Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

EVANSVILLE – Mayor Stephanie Terry announced the hiring of four department heads on Friday as she looks to round out her administration.

The picks for building commissioner, head of the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility, director of Central Dispatch and a new leader for the Department of Metropolitan Development leave only a few major appointments unfilled: mainly police and fire chiefs.

Here are the picks.

Evansville Water & Sewer Utility

Vic Kelson, the former utilities director for Bloomington, Indiana, will assume that role for Evansville.

According to a news release from Terry spokesman Joe Atkinson, Nelson has worked as a "consultant, educator and utilities professional in the water-supply field since the 1990s." Kelson also served as the president of the Monroe County Council, archives for the Bloomington Herald-Times show.

He'll replace current executive director Lane Young, a former Old National Bank higher-up who took over for retiring director Allen Mounts in 2020.

Kelson will inherit the department in the midst of a massive overhaul of the city's sewer lines. He'll also oversee the construction of a new water treatment plant that will cost ratepayers about $258 million, sparking a new round of rate increases.

The EWSU board will have to approve his appointment during its meeting on Tuesday.

Building commission

Johnny McAlister Jr., a longtime Evansville residential inspector, will take over as building commissioner.

Former commissioner Jerry Grannan, as well as Code Enforcement Coordinator Crystal Ritter, stepped down from their positions in February will little explanation. Jim Stauber had been filling the commissioner role since.

McAlister worked as an inspector for the building commission for 11 years.

Central Dispatch

Carrie James will continue as director of Central Dispatch: the hub that fields 911 calls for Evansville and Vanderburgh County.

James took over as director a year ago, but has worked with the department since 1993, the news release states, working both as a dispatcher and in a variety of supervisory roles.

Department of Metropolitan Development

DMD will also see some consistency. Kolbi Jackson, who previously worked as the department's "community development specialist and coordinator," will take over for Kelley Coures, who has served as director since 2014.

According to Atkinson, Jackson oversaw grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in her previous role.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Who will be the new leader of Evansville's water and sewer utility?