Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
Newly elected mayors officially took office Jan. 1, but Neil Elkins wasted no time getting to work as the new mayor of Huntingburg following the election in November.
Elkins began preparing for his new role the day after the election.
Elkins is one of four new mayors beginning their terms in cities in the Radius Indiana region. Huntingburg, Linton, Loogootee and Mitchell all elected new mayors. Over the coming weeks, Southern Indiana Business Report will hear from these leaders on their priorities and plans for their cities over the next four years.
Huntingburg, ‘A City Like No Other!’
Huntingburg is a city of about 6,500 in Dubois County. Elkins contemplated running for mayor for three years before he decided to run for election in 2023. As the city’s new mayor, he is looking forward to serving the residents of Huntingburg. In the weeks after taking office, he spoke with SIBR about what he sees as his city’s strengths, future opportunities and his priorities.
What’s been your focus these past few weeks?
My first priority was to develop working relationships with existing internal staff. We have close to 100 employees, and I really believe that I need to provide exceptional leadership within the city by setting expectations for me and for them. We’re fortunate in Huntingburg to own all of our utilities – wastewater, stormwater, gas and electric, so it is essentially a turnkey operation. If you want to come here to build homes or develop a business, we have all of the necessary decision makers on staff, so decisions can be made quickly. I call it non-hassle development.
What are some things that are emerging as priorities?
During my time with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, I met with a lot of communities, and I think we have similar priorities in Huntingburg as others do across the state. One important topic is housing. We need to upgrade some of our current housing stock while also diversifying housing options within the community. Other issues we need to review include adequate parking and street/sidewalk issues throughout Huntingburg.
We have great parks and programming, but I see the opportunity to expand upon those programs and provide excellent opportunities for residents and visitors alike. I want to continue developing Huntingburg as a place people choose to live, work in, and visit. We need to make sure people from the outside see the investment and pride in our community and market ourselves accordingly.
Another goal your campaign outlined was developing strong internal communications and improving communications with Huntingburg residents. Any plans yet for that? (Does Huntingburg stream council meetings?)
We do stream our council and public works meetings and that will continue. I’ve met with all of the common council members. I want to spend more time in neighborhoods talking with citizens. People can be intimidated by city hall. Rather than ask them to come to us, we want to go to them. As my time in office continues, I want people to know we’re approachable. We will also be systematic in how we communicate with residents. My goal is, if a city vehicle shows up outside their home, they know why it’s there.
What would you say are Huntingburg’s strengths?
While we have many strengths, homegrown and local businesses are big ones – we have a lot of entrepreneurs in the downtown area – and all of our major employers are local. They are businesses that started here and that’s a huge strength. OFS (manufacturer of commercial and institutional furniture), Styline Logistics, MasterBrand Cabinets, Farbest Foods, Touch of Class, a catalog outlet store – we have a diversification of employment and business. I’d like to see more small businesses in Huntingburg. We have some now, along with a few new restaurants, and that’s a direct result of the investment in both infrastructure and quality-of-life projects that have taken place over the last few years.
Leaders across Indiana are seeing the importance of investing in quality of place. Indiana, with programs like READI, are encouraging cities and towns to invest in themselves. What are some quality of place opportunities in Huntingburg?
Quality of place issues are important to me. We have League Stadium (built in 1894, the historic stadium had a starring role in the movie “A League of their Own,” which was filmed there) and provide tours there. We’re also looking at expanding programs within our parks to concentrate on activities for our seniors, youth and Latino community.
Huntingburg was designated a Stellar Community in 2014. The recognition brought an infusion of state funds earmarked for transformational projects. How has that changed your city?
The keystone of the city’s Stellar program was Market Street Park, which is a multi-use park next to the historic Old Town Hall. The area includes various performing stages, community swings, an outdoor fire pit, seating areas, and a covered farmers market pavilion. We have several events there every year. The Christmas Stroll, Daffodil Stroll, and one of the largest Latino festivals in the state of Indiana, the Latino Culture Fest, are conducted there. An outdoor concert series, 4th Fridays, which is held monthly from May to August, is also very well attended. These opportunities would not be possible if not for Stellar.
I’d like to see us further develop that area as an arts district for citizens to express their artistic abilities. We’ve worked closely with the IU Center for Rural Engagement to bring some of the talent for our concerts and the city has a great relationship with our Main Street organization, Destination Huntingburg.
The Mid-States Corridor will bring a new highway connection to southern Indiana. Any thoughts or concerns on how it will affect Huntingburg?
Part of my vision is that people will look at Huntingburg as a destination and not a city they drive through. We want people to come here and stop. I think we have what we need to do that, we just need to promote more of what is here and we’ll be fine. Whatever happens with the Mid-States Corridor, we have to be ready for it and prepared for whatever that decision is.