Gordon Wilcher, a local entrepreneur with decades of small business experience under his belt, has filed paperwork to run in the 2020 City Commission race and has a campaign team already lined up.
Wilcher said if elected, he hopes to help small businesses succeed and see drug use go down across the City of Owensboro.
Wilcher, who ran Owensboro Music Center for more than 40 years, said he put a lot of serious thought into whether or not to run in this year’s election. After receiving input and support from friends, family members and even City leaders, Wilcher decided to throw his hat in the ring.
“Everyone has been really encouraging, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the support from everyone who has reached out to me,” Wilcher said.
The current drug issues facing Owensboro have hit Wilcher on a personal level, affecting his family and a former employee, he said.
“A family member that I raised robbed my home, and an employee at the store took about $25,000 worth of inventory,” he said. “He was a good guy — he just lost his way. The drug issues in this City have been on my mind a lot. It’s very important to me.”
With decades of small business experience, Wilcher learned first-hand the difficulties facing Owensboro business owners. If elected, he said he hopes to smooth out the technicalities and communication issues between the City and those in the private sector.
In 2019, Wilcher was forced to close Owensboro Music Center due to a months-long underground construction project that closed off a large portion of Breckinridge Street in front of his store. Wilcher had to call it quits after losing 40% of his regular business during that time.
“It’s difficult to connect with the right people in the city, and then there’s planning and zoning,” he said. “I hope to make it more comfortable for small businesses, which are going to need more help than ever right now.”
Wilcher is also excited about a number of City projects in the works — most notably, the outer loop road project that’s slated to bring more connectivity to different parts of the city.
“That will be a real benefit to our city, our businesses and tourism,” he said.
Wilcher served on the board of the National Association of Music Merchants for years, which helped provide grants to help music-related projects. He also served as the president of Independent Music Store Operators, which grew from six to more than 450 stores during his tenure.
With a focused campaign team in place — including a campaign coordinator, treasurer, financial advisor and media manager — Wilcher said he feels even more supported and trusted by those around him to be a positive force for his community.
“I take this commitment seriously,” he said. “If you’re going to do something, I believe you need to give it your all.”
The other candidates are incumbents Larry Maglinger and Jeff Sanford, as well as Bob Glenn, Deanna Endicott-Smith, Mike Walker, Walter Lee, Deborah Fillman and Dale Taylor. Four City Commission seats are available.
