The following op-ed is written by Chet Hand, candidate in the Republican primary for Boone Co. Commissioner – District 2
My name is Chet Hand and I am running for County Commissioner on the Boone County fiscal court.
Two years ago, I realized that we were losing our Country at a rapid pace. This was in part because as conservatives, we haven’t been as involved in our State and our County politics as we should be. We are losing our way of life to elitist politicians that are focused on big corporate donors and special interest groups, and have forgotten the average citizen. If we want to take back our country, we have to focus on our local political environment. In an effort to do my part, I lead an organized effort to reclaim the Boone County Republican Party and was elected Chairman during the June 2021 reorganization. In the last seven months, I have reformed the party from a small “good ol’ boys” executive committee into a fully functioning County Party, with 189 active Precinct Officers, giving control of the Party back to the Republican voters of Boone County. As one of the most active parties in the state, this historic effort is now being mimicked in many other counties in Kentucky.
Why was this even necessary? Our Fiscal Court controls more elements of government that impact the daily lives of the Citizens of Boone County, than most State and Federal policies combined. If the fiscal court was doing the right thing by the people, we wouldn’t be dealing with the severe lack of infrastructure planning causing traffic and safety nightmares for our neighborhoods. Development and growth are necessary, but we shouldn’t sacrifice the safety of our communities in the process. Infrastructure must be a higher priority, and we need more dialogue between developers and community members. Our current broken zoning and long-term planning processes completely ignores the needs of the existing citizens and is designed to make input more difficult. By reviewing this process, we can push for more transparency and a win-win for developers and residents, rather than the current model of lose-lose for everyone. The Fiscal Court has lost the trust of the people. If the current Fiscal Court could be trusted, I would not be having to sacrifice my time from my family, to try and get our County back on track.
I am not a professional politician. I haven’t spent 20 years in an elected role, just seeking a retirement check. I believe in the founding father’s ideas of Statesmen, men and women who would leave their jobs and families to sacrifice for the greater good of the community for a period of time, and then leave public office to go back to their families. I have youth and energy. I have intelligence and a strategic mindset, and I have a lifetime of experience in critical decision making, difficult problem solving, and process management, which makes me a uniquely qualified candidate for this role on the Fiscal Court. I have not entered this race out of a desire to be a career politician, but after a critical analysis of my children’s futures, and seeing the need to ensure Boone County voters can trust their Fiscal Court.
I am raising a family in Boone County and have an immediate and long-term vested interest in the strategic growth for this community. Residents and voters can trust me to keep them informed of what impacts their lives and trust me to empathize with residents rather special interest groups. They can trust me to push back on the current status quo, and confront critical issues for our county head on. As a community, we need to stop electing in professional politicians of poor character and instead focus on electing honest citizens to ensure Fiscal responsibility and strategic growth for our county. I ask for your strong support and vote for Chet Hand for County Commissioner on May 17th.