Andy Schabell has won the GOP primary for Campbell County judge/executive.
Schabell, currently the mayor of Alexandria, defeated incumbent Steve Pendery for Campbell County judge/executive, a position Pendery has held since 1998.
The winner of the Republican primary will likely take office, with only write-in candidates able to challenge them in November. There is no Democratic challenger in this race.
“I never would have entered the race if I didn’t think we had a chance,” Schabell told LINK nky at his watch party on Tuesday night. “I’ve seen the writing on the wall.”
Schabell said he never dreamed he’d be a politician, but that he wasn’t happy first with how Alexandria City Council was running, and then the mayor’s office, which is why he ran for those seats. Now, he said, he hopes to do the same as judge/executive.
“There’s a lot of work to do, I’m motivated, I have the energy, I’m ready to get started on day 1,” Schabell said Tuesday night.
Campbell County Results
Schabell has been the mayor of Alexandria since 2019, and previously served three terms on the city council. He has served as a volunteer firefighter and nationally registered EMT, earned a degree in police administration from Eastern Kentucky University, and currently works as a corporate transportation manager at Darling Ingredients in Cold Spring.
At Pendery’s watch party, he told LINK nky as results came in that his campaign had some of the best numbers in the north of the county.
“All fair and square, and congrats to the winner,” Pendery said as the crowd began to file out.
Judges/executive serve as the elected chief executive of a county’s government in Kentucky. Their primary responsibilities are to oversee daily operations, prepare the budget, manage personnel, and preside over the fiscal court – the county’s primary legislative body.
Pendery’s campaign consisted of touting the county’s successes under his leadership for almost three decades.
“In Campbell, there are currently $2.4 billion worth of projects, either recently completed or on the way,” Pendery said during the May 8 debate. “That is over a 25% increase in the entire assessed valuation of Campbell County. Truly, things are going very well, and none of that happened by accident.”
Schabell focused on highlighting the successes Alexandria has had during his tenure and calling for fresh leadership in the county.
“After nearly 28 years under the same leadership, I think it’s fair for voters to ask one simple question, ‘Are we really doing our best?” Schabell said during the May 8 debate. “Are we moving fast enough on roads, traffic, infrastructure, transparency, communication and regional fairness? Are we making sure Campbell County gets its fair share when regional decisions are made?”
One thing highlighted during the debate was how the candidates conducted their campaigns with civility.
During the debate, Schabell said he was not campaigning to say anything bad about where Campbell County has been, or what Campbell County has done, but rather was looking at how the county could approach the future with a new vision and new energy. Pendery said that you can’t expect citizens to respect what you do if you have contentious meetings, personal attacks, and have no regard for the truth. He said that is the standard people need to expect from elected officials.
