Written by Jay Fossett, candidate for Covington City Council
Many people ask me why I’m running for Covington City Council after previously serving as Covington City Manager and City Solicitor and as Dayton, Ky., City Administrator for the past six years. The reason is simple: I love the City of Covington, and I think my training, experience, and passion for our city can help make it even better in the future.
I love our city’s history, architecture, people, walkability, neighborhoods, churches, parks, restaurants, arts, quirks, and grit.
I know my hometown intimately — from growing up in Latonia and living in three other Covington neighborhoods, working here as a newspaper reporter, lawyer, and small business owner, and serving on the boards of organizations like the Covington Business Council and the Tom Ellis Athletic Memorial Foundation, which provides financial support for athletics and student-athletes at Holmes High School.
My primary motivation for running for Covington City Council to ensure that we continue to improve the quality of life in our city to make it an even more vibrant and livable community.
My first priority as a member of the Covington City Council will be public safety, to ensure that our city continues to be a safe and welcoming community. Our Police and Fire Departments – as well as our Code Enforcement Department – deliver the most vital services the city provides to our residents and businesses, protecting our families and properties, creating peace of mind, promoting economic growth, and improving the quality of life in our city.
I also plan to focus on promoting economic development and creating jobs, improving our 19 diverse neighborhoods, and building a stronger relationship with the Covington Independent School District to improve our public schools and student outcomes.
In the very first staff meeting I held as the new Covington City Manager in July 2005, I told city staff that when I was growing up in Covington, I always heard people say, “Covington has such great potential.” I told the city department directors gathered around the conference table that day, “From this point forward, we will no longer speak of Covington’s potential. Instead, we will start achieving it.”
We built a strong team at the city back then, which implemented many changes and improvements in the police, fire, code enforcement, economic development, finance, and public works departments while building strong relationships throughout the community. That hard work laid the foundation for much of the success the city has experienced in the 21 years since that staff meeting.
One of the key strengths of our city is its diversity and inclusion, which I believe are especially important during these politically divisive times. We all must work together – regardless of political affiliation or ideology – to make our community a better place to live, work, and raise a family, and I believe my experience and personal philosophy can help make that happen.
At the heart of my value system and my leadership style are two core concepts: honesty and kindness. I believe that these traits form the essence of what it takes to be a great leader. These are the attributes that make a great teacher, parent, or elected official — someone who is caring, engaged, and working hard to make a person or an organization better.
My family’s roots run deep in Covington. My great-grandparents on my mother’s side emigrated to Covington from Germany more than 150 years ago. Three generations owned and operated the Schmidt-Beuttel Bakery at 253 Pike Street from the late 1800s through the 1930s in a building that is now being rehabilitated.
My maternal grandmother’s brother, William Beuttel Jr., served as a Covington City Commissioner during the 1930s and then as Covington’s mayor from 1940-1944. I served as Covington City Solicitor from 2001-2005 and as Covington City Manager from 2005-2009.
I have a journalism degree (1981) from the University of Kentucky and a law degree (1987) and master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change (2020) from Northern Kentucky University. I practiced law in Covington and owned and operated a public relations and public affairs business in Covington before returning to public service six years ago as Dayton City Administrator, a position from which I will retire at the end of this year. I believe that my education, training, and experience make me uniquely qualified to serve as a member of the Covington City Council.
While the City of Covington has made great strides in the 25 years since I first started working there, much work remains to be done. My record shows that I’m someone who knows how to get things done. And that’s what I’ll do if elected to Covington City Council.
To learn more about me and my vision for Covington, please visit my website at jayfossett.com.
