Carrie Tergin (born 1972) was the 60th mayor of
Jefferson City
Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. She served from 2015-2023. She was the second female mayor of Jefferson City.
Political career
Before being elected mayor, Tergin served on the Jefferson City council for six years.
Tergin was elected mayor of Jefferson City with 41% of the vote on April 6, 2015.
She was reelected in 2019 with 84% of the vote.
She said she emulates Missouri First Lady
Teresa Parson and put a sign on her door that reads "The People's Office," honoring Parson's openness. During the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Tergin signed an emergency proclamation that directed all Jefferson City residents to comply with the provisions of any order issued by the Cole County Health Department. In June 2020, she voted in favor of using Chesterfield Hotels, architecture and design firm Arcturis, Peckham Architecture and Central Missouri Professional Services to redevelop the Missouri State Penitentiary site.
May 2019 Tornado Response
Mayor Tergin received national coverage in May 2019 for her response to the disastrous
tornado that hit Jefferson City in May 2019.
Before the
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
she issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Jefferson City, and an
emergency declaration.
She enforced a curfew for Jefferson City the day after the tornado tore through town. She reported that the city had prepared for flooding but had not prepared for such extensive damage from the tornado.
Relatively few people were injured, which Tergin attributed to strong compliance with the emergency orders, in addition with the late hour at which the tornado hit. Tergin was praised for her communication and organizing relief efforts after the tornado.
Personal life
Tergin's grandfather George Tergin was a Greek immigrant and operated a shoeshine and hat service until retiring in 1976. Tergin studied business management at
Southwest Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...
.
She was also appointed to the Missouri State University Board of Governors in January 2013 and served as board chair in 2018.
Tergin owns a store, Carrie's Hallmark Shop, in Jefferson City.
See also
*
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2019 - Jefferson City
References
External links
Official Jefferson City mayor's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tergin, Carrie
1972 births
21st-century American women politicians
Living people
Missouri Republicans
Missouri State University alumni
People from Jefferson City, Missouri
Women mayors of places in Missouri
21st-century mayors of places in Missouri