The inaugural class of the Covington Mayor’s Academy graduated this week.
The academy was a civics education program that brought interested city residents behind the scenes of Covington City Hall to give them insight into how different city departments and aspects of the city government work. Similar programs exist at the county level and with some police departments.
“The more that you invest in others and in one another and just continue to bring what you have to the table and share it, the better the city is going to be,” Vice Mayor Shannon Smith told graduates on Tuesday.
The academy was an eight-month program organized into a series of eight 60-to-120-minute evening sessions covering topics like city administration, neighborhood services, public safety and operations, legal services, human resources, public works and parks and recreation. Many of the sessions were led by city department heads and other people who had insight into the workings of Covington’s government.
29 people out of about 100 applicants were selected for the program last summer, but not all finished. Just over 20 people attended the ceremonial graduation Tuesday night. People who attended the academy came from various walks of life, including workers at the local school district, business leaders, people who already served on neighborhood boards and two candidates for the Covington City Council: Dan Francis and Cari Garriga. The program also allowed people who work in the city but don’t live there to participate.
Those who did finish the program received ceremonial gavels with their names on them. Mayor Ron Washington encouraged graduates to stay involved with city business.
“That’s what my whole goal was: to see if we could keep citizens’ participation,” Washington said. “My predecessors would tell me, one of the hardest things you’re going to find is to be able to fill people on [city] board seats.”
Amanda Arelle, a graduate who spoke with LINK nky after the ceremony and who lives in the Eastside neighborhood, said the academy showed her how much the city government truly cared about the community.
“Throughout the process with each department, I really felt like there was genuine care,” Arelle said. Since joining the academy, Arelle has been appointed as a member of the Covington Human Rights Commission.
“A lot of stuff I have taken back to my community,” said Helene Hill, who works as an attendance clerk with Covington Independent Public Schools and lives in the Helentown neighborhood.
She said these included “how things are trying to develop, how new businesses are coming in, how they’re trying to develop on land for new housing, which a lot of people are really interested in.”
Hill does not yet serve on any city boards but said she was planning to apply for one, so long as her schedule permitted it.
The city is already recruiting for the next mayor’s academy class. Interested residents and people who work for Covington-based firms can apply now through June 1 by filing out Covington’s online form here. Sessions begin in August.
You can see current openings for Covington city boards at onboard.covingtonky.gov.
Check out a full list of the inaugural Mayor’s Academy class below:
- Amanda Arelle, Eastside – Software Engineering Manager, Availity
- Connor Boland, Eastside – Property Manager, UC Health
- Tami Burgoyne, Licking Riverside – Senior Complex Claims Specialist, W.R. Berkley Corporation
- April Coffee, Westside – Business Coach, Small Business Development Center
- Maureen Eiting, Old Seminary Square – Chief of Staff / VP Sales Ops, DentalXChange
- Sarah Flem, Mainstrasse – Insurance Executive, Great American Insurance
- Dan Francis, West Latonia – Retired Minister, Latonia Baptist Church
- Cari Maria Garriga, Licking Riverside – Professor, Thomas More University
- Kelly Harper, Westside – Career Center Director, Cincinnati State
- Bonnie Harrison, Licking Riverside – Manager, Internal Revenue Service
- Helene Hill, Helentown – Administrative Assistant, Covington Independent Schools
- Leroy Hodge – Executive Director, Neighborhood Investment Partners
- Gregg Hothem, South Covington – Retired
- Chuck Kemp, Central Business District – Commercial Real Estate Advisor
- Michael Lange, Lewisburg – Real Estate & Construction Professional
- Kelly McCollough, Peaselburg – Senior Instructional Designer, University of Cincinnati
- Melissa McQueen, South Covington – Executive Assistant to CEO, CHNK Behavioral Health
- Laura Menard, Westside – Hospital Librarian, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
- Lydia Noll-Giska, Wallace Woods – Social Worker, NKY Children’s Advocacy Center
- Emily North, Mainstrasse – Marketing & Communications Manager, Christ Hospital Health Network
- Chad Ragan, Wallace Woods – Chief of Staff, DuBois Chemicals
- Tracey Rowe – VP of Early Childhood Services, Learning Grove
- Colton Sayers, Westside – Occupational Therapist, UC Health
- Stevie Smith, Wallace Woods – Outreach Programmer, Kenton County Public Library
- Bil Spicer, Mainstrasse – Retired
- Nicole Tepe, Central Business District – Lawyer, Frost Brown Todd
- Shelley Volpenhein – Business Owner, The Fieldhouse
- Alexander Willet, Peaselburg – Realtor, Sibcy Cline
This story has been updated.