Candidate for: Kenton County Commissioner District 3;
Party: Democrat;
Status: Challenger;
John Busse is one of a packed field of candidates in the race for Kenton County commissioner in district 3, which encompasses much of the northwestern portion of the county (note: Although commissioners’ seats are divided into districts, they are elected at-large, meaning everyone in the county can vote for them).
He will face Democrat Jordan Baldridge in the May primary. Whoever wins that primary will then face the winner of the Republican primary, either Richard “Scott” Kimmich or Matthew Hayden, in November.
This will be the first time Busse has run for office in Kentucky, although he said he had done some zoning work in Green Township, Ohio, in the past.
In an interview with LINK nky, Busse said he’d spent much of the last 20 years as an independent but decided to join the Democrats because “the Republicans seem to have things pretty well sewn up.” He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Kenton County Democrats.
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Busse graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design in 1972 and founded a business, which is still operating, in 1985. He touted his experience overseeing a business, working with vendors, managing relationships, as well as procuring services and products as a good primer for working on the fiscal court.
“That’s where I think I can bring the most benefit to Kenton County — to the people of Kenton County — is with my business background, since it has been built upon relationships with not only small employers but large employers, not only with small clients, but with large clients,” Busse said.
He advocated for a thoughtful approach to development, especially development that occurred on the east and west sides of I-75.
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“And if there’s not a plan, and if the residents who are adjacent to that are not in favor of it, there has to be a realistic view as to what’s going on,” Busse said.
Overall, he advocated for more community involvement in development initiatives and development planning.