Editor’s note: LINK nky sent a candidate questionnaire by email to every candidate in the race and received responses from six individuals. Ryan Elmore, Don Skidmore, Renee Skidmore, Stephen Knipper, and Frank Wichmann did not return a request for their campaign information.
This story has been updated to include comments from Tyson Hermes.
Erlanger City Council is shrinking from 12 members to nine, meaning not every incumbent running in the open field will get to stay.
City council members serve two-year terms. Among 13 candidates, 10 incumbents are running for the narrowing city council. Tom Cahill, Ryan Elmore, Tyson Hermes, Stephen Knipper, Vicki Kyle, Jennifer Jasper-Lucas, Diana Niceley, Rebecca Reckers, Don Skidmore and Renee Skidmore are all incumbents running for the nine open seats,
Candidates Frank Wichmann, Renee Wilson, and Stephen Klare are newcomers, bidding for a spot on the city council and a chance to unseat an incumbent.
Tom Cahill is a lifelong resident of Erlanger. Married with three children, he has a background in respiratory care and currently works at St. Elizabeth Healthcare as a systems director – a job he has held since 2014. He also has experience as a volunteer for local emergency services and the city’s parks department.
He’s seeking another term out of concern for Erlanger’s emergency services infrastructure, as well as a vision for improvements to retain city staff in a post-COVID-19 work environment.
“We have data from one of our consultant firms in regards to our infrastructure and we need to have a plan to address the concerns from this report that includes needed changes for our fire/EMS stations, police HQ and city building,” he told LINK nky. “We will also need to continue the progress we have started on improving our parks, roads and sidewalks. Recruitment and retention of our personnel is always a challenge and has been only magnified with COVID.”
Cahill said he’s worried about the economy’s impact on Erlanger’s budget. His goals, if reelected, are to maintain the city budget, promote recruitment and retention, and plan infrastructure for a growing city.
“I have the history, experience, and background to help guide the city into the future through good times and bad,” he said. “The economy and its effect on our budget is the concern we have now and down the road. The city will need to be more strategic moving forward to stay solvent and continue growth.”
Jennifer Jasper-Lucas was born and raised in Erlanger, graduated from Lloyd High School in 1996, and attended Eastern Kentucky University for a degree in public relations. Her career took her to Texas, Georgia, and Western Kentucky before she returned home to Erlanger in 2012.
She said she has more than 20 years of experience in sales, management, marketing and public relations. She is a commercial lines account manager for Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, and said she is “highly organized, efficient and solution-focused.”
Jasper-Lucas said she is an active volunteer in the community through several organizations including the Bettie Carter Morgan Woman’s Club, Erlanger Lions Club, Kenton County Republican Women’s Club, Seven Hills Church and Dixie Heights High School.
Her interest in running for another term on city council is tied to her desire to see Erlanger grow.
“I will continue to propose and support legislation to foster a family and business-friendly environment. I will work to make sure Erlanger has the best first responders and that they receive competitive pay. I want to make sure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and not wasted,” she said.
She said she supports striking a balance between encouraging economic development and lowering taxes for residents, so that adequate funding is available for essential services and repairs to sidewalks.
Jasper-Lucas also feels that affordable housing is an urgent need in the Northern Kentucky region.
“This is not an issue that is easily solved. I will continue to support legislation that allows for building of affordable housing and will not support removing multi-family housing as a permitted use where I believe it makes sense,” Jasper-Lucas said.
As a result, she said she has supported and will continue to support partnerships that makes sense for maintaining and increasing affordable housing in the community.
Stephen Klare is one of three challengers in the field of 13 candidates. A former FedEx employee and managed ground operations, he also worked for Swiss Air at CVG airport and the Miami International Airport. His positions included cargo station management, sales and third-party cargo management. He also worked with local officials from the TSA, customs and other government agencies in his line of work.
Raised in Bellevue, Klare and his wife have lived in Erlanger on and off for the last 26 years.
Now retired, Klare said he was encouraged to run for city council when he noticed the narrowing field of seats.
“When I started to research the candidates, I realized that there were only 13 candidates for 12 positions. I found that to be unhealthy. Thirteen people for 12 positions virtually assured each candidate, incumbents and challengers, a high probability of getting re-elected/elected. At that point, I started to think about running for council,” he said.
He said he feels most council members have the best interests of the city and its future in mind, while others “want to keep the city stuck in time.”
Klare said he views Erlanger’s position as an advantage and said, “Erlanger’s important geographic location to the largest commercial asset in our region, Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati International Airport” should be leveraged more often.
“The city literally sits at the crossroads of the region,” he said.
He added that he supports Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette’s agenda to “address long-neglected issues like worn-out roads and parks.”
He said he also supports making Erlanger more accessible by bike and for pedestrians. He said his biggest concern for Erlanger is having an “open mind” for change and future development.
Tyson Hermes is a Catholic, a husband, a father of three, a business owner, a builder, a beekeeper, and a current city councilman in Erlanger. He chose to move his family to Erlanger from Edgewood 12 years ago. He has served two terms as councilman, and one term as mayor. He is a graduate of Covington Latin School, and has bachelor of science degrees in architectural engineering and construction management from the University of Cincinnati. He owns Hermes Construction Company and has specialized in commercial design-build construction for 30 years. Tyson serves on the executive committee for the Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky, conducts classes for new beekeepers, and regularly leads the rosary at St. Barbara Church.
He is seeking another term to weigh in on future tax rates, decisions on city services and support public safety and infrastructure.
“There is still so much work to be done,” he said. “Some of my goals are to get the railroad overpass on Dixie Highway painted, continue to repair and replace our sidewalks, add sidewalks on Narrows Road and Dolwick Drive, improve the looks of Dixie Highway by starting to go underground with the overhead power lines, help find a business to fill the old Toyota building, and reduce the size of our city council.”
He sees Erlanger’s reputation and image as one of the biggest hurdles for the city.
“The biggest issue facing Erlanger is breaking the stigma associated with the city after decades of neglect, ignorance, lack of strategic planning, and poor management. Erlanger is poised for prosperity and sits on a geographical ‘goldmine.’ There is no reason for the city to be associated with any negative stigma,” Hermes said.
Vicki Kyle has lived in Erlanger for nearly 50 years. A graduate of Notre Dame Academy and Thomas More University, she also attended Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University for her graduate studies. She is a former teacher of 42 years, and is seeking reelection to ensure continued fiscal responsibility. Like other fellow incumbents, she is worried about the lack of affordable housing for low-income families.
“ I feel we can best address this issue by working with our neighboring cities and pooling our resources,” Kyle said.
Similar to Kyle, Diana Niceley has been a resident of Erlanger for nearly 50 years. She attended Lloyd High School in Erlanger, attended NKU, Thomas More, and Beckfield College, and holds a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies.
She is an office manager for her family’s business, Niceley’s Heating, Cooling and Appliance Repair, and has served in that role for more than 20 years.
Niceley is seeking another term on the council “to continue to grow and be a great place to live, raise your family, work and play. I would like to be able to continue lowering taxes yet still continue to provide adequate pay, training and equipment for our fire and police departments.”
She believes the biggest issue facing Erlanger is a lack of quality, affordable housing as well.
Originally from Cincinnati, Rebecca Reckers moved to Erlanger 10 years ago, where she now lived with her husband and 3-year-old son. She received her master’s in business administration from NKU, and currently works as a principal of corporate compliance for Discover.
Outside of work, Reckers volunteers with local nonprofits that serve the homeless and seek to end homelessness.
She said she’s seeking reelection to continue the work she started in 2018.
“I ran for Erlanger City Council in 2018 because I wanted to create a climate of accountability to our citizens,” Reckers said. “I have a proven track record and want to continue this promise and serve the residents of Erlanger with all issues, large and small, and hold the city accountable to the needs of its citizens.”
Reckers added she takes a “pragmatic approach to problem-solving.”
Like other council members, she prioritizes public safety services, fiscal responsibility and economic development. She said she’s also a supporter of capital projects to improve roads, sidewalks, and other city infrastructure.
Her biggest concern for the city is “market volatility.”
“Market volatility, inflation, and impending impact on our residents and business community. Seventy percent of the revenue in the city of Erlanger comes from our business community,” Reckers said. “Making sound financial decisions during uncertain economic times is critical to keeping our city resilient and taxes favorable.”
A previous copy of this story featured a note that said Stephen Klare did not respond to questions. This has been corrected.