Here are your candidates for Wilder City Council

The City of Wilder will have a non-competitive race on Nov. 8. Six candidates are looking to be elected to six seats.

Five incumbents seek reelection: Andrew Williams, Sandy Ruschman-Decker, Kelly Meiser, Jim Profitt, and Robert Blankenship. Bradly Murphy is looking to be elected to his first term.

Current councilmember Valerie Jones is running for Wilder Mayor against the incumbent Robert Arnold after serving on the council for the past eight years.

LINK nky did not receive comments from Murphy, Ruschman-Decker, or Williams for this story. 

Blankenship has served on the council for 20 years. Since taking office, he said the last few years have been the most meaningful and rewarding. 

“The council has had to make decisions based on careful evaluation for the progress of the city,” Blankenship said. “However, I have to believe my greatest accomplishment was as police liaison to initiate the police contract discussions to keep turnover low and, at the same time, provide meaningful challenges for them to increase their pay on an annual basis for three years.”

Meiser, who has served four years on the Wilder City Council, said one of her most significant accomplishments since taking office was being the voice that citizens wanted when it came to the proposed Fischer development.

“There were many concerns with what was being proposed, and it was wonderful to reject what wasn’t in line with Wilder’s future aspirations,” Meiser said. “I helped lead a police retention agreement, so we can pay our police more and ultimately retain our best-in-class police force.”

Meiser told LINK nky that she strongly supports Jones for Mayor, noting that she loves the small town of Wilder and thinks they are budgeting too much on things that do not align with what residents want.

“I want to make sure we smartly grow and ask our residents for feedback along the way,” Meiser said. 

Profitt has served on the council for about five years. He was nominated for the position by the previous Wilder Mayor, Stanley Turner, and voted in by the council to complete the term vacated by councilmember Tim Gilkison. 

He has since been elected twice to serve two-year terms. 

Profitt is a lifelong Wilder resident. He served in the U.S. Army and was a police officer and volunteer firefighter for the City of Wilder. Former Mayor Jerry Williams appointed him as Wilder Fire Chief, a position he held for 30 years. 

“I feel I have a great deal of leadership experience along with a vast knowledge of the city, its history, and our citizens,” Profitt said. 

Profitt said the accomplishment he is most proud of during his time in office is building the new Wilder Fire Station.

“This was something that was of the utmost importance to me, as the former Fire Chief of Wilder for 30 years,” Profitt said. “The new facility has greatly enhanced the safety and well-being of our firefighters as well as improved their on-site training capabilities.” 

He said if he is reelected, his main priority will be keeping property taxes low while maintaining the city’s quality of service.

“As a member of the Economic Development Committee for the city, I am committed to bring quality businesses into our city, which will generate a tax base (payroll and gross receipts taxes) to support keeping our property taxes as low as possible,” Profitt said.

Blankenship said if he is reelected, his top priorities include “continuing to serve the city by making careful and knowledgeable decisions that reflect what our residents want and what we can afford.”

Blankenship said he is a better candidate for Wilder Council because of his experience, fairness, and transparency. He said the city needs to be cognizant of the city and residents’ needs.

“I have seen the city evolve from some very humble beginnings,” Blankenship said. “Then, through wise management, we have built up a comfortable reserve to ensure quality services are available for the people we serve.”

Meiser said should she be reelected, she would prioritize saving tax dollars by ensuring the city doesn’t spend needlessly.

“There are a lot of things on the table for discussion right now (Neyer IRBs and Frederick’s Landing in particular), and I want to make sure we understand the costs and benefits associated with these,” Meiser said. “I also want to make sure we do more to support and retain all our first responders.” 

She said she is the better candidate for council because she is the only member who has never voted yes on a tax increase.

“I have spent countless hours analyzing the budget, proposing cost savings ideas, and questioning decisions, all while making sure I am representing what the citizens want,” Meiser said.