Two local Republican candidates, Shelley Funke Frommeyer and Jerry Gearding, visited the Wilder City Council meeting last week. Several Wilder residents also attended the meeting, both to hear about news related to the city and to listen to the candidates speak.
Tyna Eichman, a Wilder resident of 14 years, attended the meeting to get a better idea of her options for the elections.
“I love the city, and elections are coming,” she said.
Addressing the candidates and the council members, many of whom are running for re-election, she added, “I want to see who you are, your personalities. I want to see that you’re fighting for Wilder with integrity, with honesty, and that you’ve got Wilder’s best interests in mind.”
Frommeyer is running for State Senate in Kentucky’s 24th district, which includes Campbell, Bracken, and Pendleton Counties, as well as parts of Kenton County.
Gearding is running for State Representative of the 67th district, comprised of several cities in Campbell County, including Wilder, Dayton, Bellevue, Southgate, Woodlawn, Newport, and parts of Highland Heights. Frommeyer and Gearding are residents of Alexandria and Wilder, respectively.
In their statements, the candidates discussed the issues they believed were the most important to local residents.
“I see that safety is so important,” Frommeyer said. “You’re growing the community.” She added that both businesses and families “want to be in a community that’s safe.”
Gearding praised Wilder’s commitment to low tax rates and its continued efforts to attract businesses.
“I have seen the tremendous growth that we’ve had here in this city,” Gearding said, “and I’m extremely proud of it.”
He also discussed his desire to manage local government spending if elected, specifically as it relates to pensions for police officers and fire fighters. In his view, the current financial burden of pension plans, which includes both traditional and hybrid style plans, is “not sustainable.” He hopes to work with local officials to “improve that option and find the money to pay for it.”
Both candidates’ platforms are broadly conservative. The issues page on Frommeyer’s website asserts that she’s “Pro-Life,” an “ardent supporter of the 2nd Amendment” and committed to “fiscal responsibility, and absolute transparency.” Likewise, Gearding’s website lists gun rights, an anti-abortion rights agenda similar to Frommeyer’s, border security and the “ending of all lockdown, mask, and vaccine mandates” as key issues.
State Senate district 24’s current legislator is Wil Schroder, a Republican born in Wilder who is not running for reelection. Frommeyer’s Democratic opponent is Rene Heinreich, who was not at the meeting but who offered some comments to LINK nky over email later in the week: “As a councilperson on Highland Heights for over 10 years, I too am impressed with what Wilder has accomplished, and we are actively trying to learn from Wilder in currently planning our own new greenspace.”
Kentucky House district 67’s current representative is Rachel Roberts, Gearding’s opponent and a Democrat who is running for reelection. Representative Roberts was not at the meeting and could not be reached for comment. However, in July Kentucky Democrats and Roberts leveled criticism against incidents of alleged domestic assault in Gearding’s past, as reported by LINK nky.
Mayor Robert Arnold thanked the citizens who took the time to attend the Council meeting.
“I appreciate you coming when it’s election time, but the meetings are always open,” he said. “We love it actually when people show up at the meetings and ask questions and have concerns about these things because we are the representatives of the citizens. All of us are [Wilder] residents as well, just like you. So we appreciate you coming in and asking those questions.”