Gail Riecken

Gail Riecken (née Engel; born November 9, 1945) is a former Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing the 77th District. She was a candidate for Mayor of Evansville, the third-largest city in the state, in the 2015 election.

Biographical Information

Personal details Gail's parents were named Ed and Mille Engel. Gail Engel graduated from Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville and earned her BA in Sociology and Social Work from Indiana University. Gail and Ron Riecken were married in 1968 and have two daughters, Julia Belle Riecken Langerak and Katie Riecken Parker. They also have three grandchildren named Joey, Martha, and George.

Career She was a real estate broker and riverboat captain prior to her involvement in electoral politics.

Political career

Election history Gail Riecken was first elected to the Evansville City Council in 1989 and was elected again at-large in 1991 and 1995. Riecken ran for Congress in 1998 as the Democratic nominee in Indiana's 8th congressional district but lost in the general election to the incumbent Republican John Hostettler. In 1999, she ran for the mayor of Evansville in the Democratic primary but lost to Democrat Rick Borries. The Democrats ended the standoff after 36 days, returning on March 28, 2011.

Indiana's Religious Freedom Act Riecken was the only southern Indiana legislator to vote against Indiana's proposal of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Riecken stated that the law “will allow individuals to ignore any law they choose, simply because they feel it conflicts with their religious beliefs. It will pave the way for intolerance of others.”