Beth Sewell is the Republican incumbent county commissioner candidate in district 1 on the Kenton County Fiscal Court. She will face off against Democrat challenger Sarah Froelich in November.
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Sewell, who lives in Covington’s Wallace Woods neighborhood, was first elected to the fiscal court in 2010. She’s not from the region, instead growing up on a large, family-owned farm in Indiana. She moved to Northern Kentucky when her husband relocated for work about 30 years ago. Sewell herself has a professional background in nonprofit management.
“When I filed to run for office nearly 16 years ago, I was well-advised to set foundational
principles by which I would govern,” Sewell said. Specifically, those principles were to “maintain representative government,” “protect taxpayers’ investment” and “demonstrate integrity and transparency.”
Sewell touted several key accomplishments she’s taken part in during her time on the Fiscal Court. Specifically, she pointed to the establishment of Kenton County Emergency Dispatch, which was formed after its predecessors in Erlanger and Covington merged.
“I’ve been blessed to govern through a recession, a global pandemic, an opioid epidemic and even an EF4 tornado,” Sewell said at a campaign event earlier this year. “I’m proud to say that despite these unforeseen challenges, Kenton County remains stable and secure.”
Additionally, she touted her support of the Kenton County Detention Center’s substance abuse program, which described as a “model”program that reduced recidivism. If reelected, she hoped to use opioid abatement funds to expand the county’s police navigator program, which places social workers in police departments to help get people connected to resources.
With two commissioners leaving the fiscal court, Sewell said one of her main priorities would be “to establish trusting and healthy relationships with my new fellow elected commissioners.”