Office of the Mayor

Raymond “Shawn” Gerkin was elected as North Vernon Mayor in the 2023 general election and was sworn into office on January 1, 2024.  He is a life-long resident of North Vernon and is honored to be serving the citizens of North Vernon.  Mayor Gerkin isn’t new to politics, however.  He served for 12 years as the North Vernon Clerk-Treasurer prior to being elected as mayor. 

“My time as the clerk-treasurer was both rewarding and challenging.  Learning the ins and outs of municipal government and financing will certainly serve me well as mayor also.  I was fortunate enough to have a staff that allowed me to do more than what a clerk-treasurer is traditionally known to do, including a lot of planning for city projects and working with department heads to try to serve the community the best we can.  Those times only fueled my passion to be the next Mayor of North Vernon”!

Mayor Gerkin was active in the planning for Tripton Park, the new City Aquatic Center, Heritage Estates subdivision currently under construction, and many other projects as well.  He has served on the South-Central Indiana Talent Region’s READI and READI 2.0 teams where the region was awarded $30 million dollars from the state for READI.  The team currently awaits the award of READI 2.0 dollars.

“I’ve really enjoyed working on READI.  It’s allowed me to collaborate with other mayors and economic development people to bring project ideas and money to North Vernon.  READI was responsible for the new 111 lot subdivision being constructed on the west side of the city, as well as improvements to Country Squire Lakes, Jennings County School, and the start of a new recreational facility at the old stone quarry.  READI 2.0 projects are still being discussed but I’m confident the results will be great improvements to downtown North Vernon”!

Mayor Gerkin also serves on the Board of Directors for the Schneck Foundation in Seymour and is a member of the Board of Directors for Senior Housing in North Vernon.  He attended St. Mary’s School as a child, and attended Jennings County High School and Indiana University in Bloomington.

The mayor and his wife, Chasity, have been married for 28 years.  They have two adult children and one child.  Their oldest, Peyton and wife Sydney Gerkin and Sidney and husband Tyler Vogel, also live in North Vernon.  Their son Laec, 12, also attends St. Mary’s School.  They welcomed their first grandchild, Clayton, in the summer of 2023.

The mayor is the son of the late Raymond Gerkin and Janet Carnes-Gerkin.  He is a member of St. Mary’s Parish and a member of the Knights of Columbus Council #1631, where he is a former Grand Knight.