As transformational infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor and Covington Central Riverfront loom, the public office that may hold the most influence over Covington’s direction — the City Commission — has only four candidates…
For four seats.
Covington has a population over 40,000 people and is a critical economic hub for Northern Kentucky. Why aren’t more Covington residents interested in being involved on their city’s main governing board, even when life in the city seems to be trending upwards?
The Covington City Commission is comprised of Mayor Joe Meyer and four commissioners. The mayor serves four year terms, while commissioners serve two year terms.
Three of the four incumbent commissioners are seeking reelection: Ron Washington, Shannon Smith and Tim Downing. The only commissioner not seeking reelection is Michelle Williams, who’s served on the Commission since 2012. She announced her intention to retire due to health reasons at the conclusion of her term.
There is currently only one candidate new to politics running for Commissioner: urban planner Nolan Nicaise.
“I am fairly surprised that there aren’t other people running. It does make me running a little bit easier, but I am surprised by that,” Nicaise said. “I think there are reasons why people can’t run. They have families. I do not have kids so I have a little bit more time on my hands versus somebody who does have kids. Running costs money and takes effort, and you have to have some confidence in knowing what you might be getting yourself into.”
In comparison, the Newport City Commission race had 10 candidates for its four seats. That was enough for a May primary, even with two of the four current commissioners retiring.
Now was as good an opportunity for Nicaise to run as any. He’s the only non-incumbent running for Covington City Commission after recently crowned Miss Kentucky pageant winner and middle school teacher Hannah Edelen dropped out. She was previously in the race, but told LINK nky she decided to drop out in order to pursue other opportunities.
“I just realized I think this is the time,” Nicaise said. “I think there’s also a push for some new faces, for more young people to get involved in local politics. I think that I have the experience to be effective at it. So I thought, this is my time. Let’s do it.”
According to Northern Kentucky University political science professor and Bellevue City Commissioner Ryan Salzman, there are two primary factors for the lack of candidates in local municipal elections: a feeling of exhaustion among potential candidates, and a general sense of satisfaction regarding the effectiveness of local municipal governments.
“Despite all of the high energy around national politics and even state politics, there’s also an exhaustion with politics, which seems to manifest in a depressed desire to run for local office,” Salzman said.
After the turbulent 2020 national elections, and contentious 2022 primaries in Boone, Kenton, Campbell counties, potential candidates may opt out of upcoming municipal elections until the political landscape becomes more favorable, or less toxic.
The electorate’s recent feelings toward municipal governments in Northern Kentucky have been positive, according to Salzman.
Many Northern Kentucky municipalities are surprisingly flush with cash due to COVID-19 stimulus packages passed by the federal government. Money from the American Rescue Plan Act has given municipalities extra wiggle room to pursue infrastructure and beautification projects.
In regards to Covington, much of the big news coming out of the city is about positive trends. After years in the dark, the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project is finally getting off the ground, with Mayor Meyer facilitating Covington’s involvement in the project. The shuttered IRS building along the city’s riverfront is in the midst of demolition, paving the way for the Covington Central Riverfront project, which is projected to positively impact the city’s economy.
“You kind of have to ask yourself, ‘who do I want to displace?’ Who do I want off of this,” Salzman said.
Covington’s government isn’t without flaws, or criticism from the public, but with all of the polarizing contentiousness coming from national and state level politics, some municipal governments seem like a beacon of hope in comparison.
Political party affiliations also haven’t really played a role in Covington’s City Commission elections. The election is labeled as nonpartisan, which Cornell Law defines as an election where none of the candidates nominated or elected represent a political party.
In other words, partisan talking points from either side of the political spectrum tend to hold as less leverage due to the election’s nonpartisan status. Local municipal elections, like Covington, tend to force candidates to focus on the fundamentals of running a city government, rather than provide opinions on national hot button political issues.
In Northern Kentucky, political activist groups have shifted their focus toward school board elections rather than municipal government elections.
“Residents want to know, ‘are you gonna pave my roads?’ This is about those kinds of fundamentals,” Salzman said.
However, this phenomenon may change in the future. In April, the Kentucky Legislature passed Senate Bill 216, which would allow county clerks to include party affiliation for candidates running in nonpartisan elections, such as judicial and municipal, on their official websites.
The bill will be in effect for the 2022 general election.
Senate Bill 216 was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, but was overridden by the majority Republican legislature during the final days of the 60-day session.
“Adding partisan identification to anything that is a one-off from a nonpartisan election could have a very chilling effect on people’s willingness to run in nonpartisan elections, which is troubling, given the low rate of signups for local elections that we have already,” Salzman told LINK nky reporter Mark Payne in April.
In response, savvy candidates could just change their party affiliation if they’re concerned about partisan identification affecting their candidacy.
For a first-time candidate like Nicaise, his political timing is unintentionally impeccable. Barring an unprecedented event, Nicaise will almost certainly be elected to the Commission. This will give him time to build meaningful experience.
“I want to make sure that I’m at least considering the voices that I’m not hearing in making decisions, and how these decisions will affect different groups of people,” Nicaise said. “Whether that’s by age or race, there are different decisions affecting different people. I can come in with a passion for the environment, sustainability, health and safety.”
