“I really appreciate the passion that both David and the Ari have for Ludlow,” said Ludlow Mayor Chris Wright. “David is a lifelong resident. Ari is the vice president of the Historic Society, and when I reflect on both of them, I really feel like I’m reflecting on two people that care deeply about our city.”
Who’s the mayor talking about? He’s talking about Araminta, or Ari, Knight and David Ziegler, the only two candidates vying for a spot on a city government on the Kenton County ballot this upcoming election.
Knight is the incumbent candidate, and the council swore her in at the beginning of June, following the resignation of former Council Member Brie Banks, who moved out of the city. Knight actually ran for a council position last year but finished in seventh place in the polls. There were six openings on council.
Originally from Louisville, Knight moved to Ludlow in 2016 with her husband. Together, they have a 3-year-old son.
“I’m just invested in the future here and want to make sure that it continues to be such a family-friendly place to live,” Knight said.
Her challenger is David Ziegler, a life-long Ludlow resident, who has been involved in several community institutions throughout his life, including a brief stint on the local school board.
“I’m very visible in Ludlow,” Ziegler said. “I’m always around. I’m always approachable. I think people aren’t afraid to come and talk to me.”
Although Ziegler said that he has no personal animosity against Knight, he said he decided to run based on the circumstances of her appointment to the council.
“I don’t think the process was very fair,” Ziegler said, arguing the council hadn’t done enough to advertise the vacancy. Ludlow City Council meeting minutes attest to Ziegler’s presence at a council meeting in May, where he inquired about the vacancy.
Anyone can apply for consideration on a city council when vacancies occur outside of an election season, but council members are the ones who vote to officially bring someone on. Something like this happened earlier this year in Covington.
City Attorney Steve Taylor stated at the May council meeting that the city had followed the letter of the law when it appointed Knight. Still, Ziegler would have liked to see a more thorough recruiting effort on the part of the council.
“They didn’t let the residents in the city know that there was an opening,” Ziegler said. He would have liked to see the city “possibly talk to maybe two or three others.”
Wright said that he tried to keep Knight involved with the city after she lost in the last election, even if only in an unofficial capacity.
“I have been impressed with how she conducted herself and her passion for the community through the election process,” Wright said. “So I had hoped to keep her involved throughout things.”
Thus, when Banks resigned, Wright said, Knight was a natural choice, although he admitted that, as a freshman mayor, he misunderstood the established process of replacing a council seat: Mayors cannot directly choose a council replacement. Still, he said the council members seemed to agree that Knight was a good candidate, given their vote to instate her.
In any case, Ziegler decided to run, and both candidates seem to have similar desires for the city, even if they disagree on the details.
“I think we could do so much more for our residents if we had a slightly bigger budget,” Knight said and pointed to the Fischer Homes development, Cityview Station, underway in the hills above the city.
“When there are actually properties available to sell on that land, then we’ll be able to bring in some additional tax revenue there,” Knight said.
“Once they’re built, we anticipate about $30 million in revenue over the next 30 years,” Knight said. “…Our budget’s between $4 [million] and $5 million right now a year.”
Knight’s first vote as a council member, in fact, came in June when she voted in favor of issuing about $100 million in industrial revenue bonds and about $20 million in other bonds for the construction of the development. Council members Stephen Chapman, Samantha Frank and Julie Navarre also voted in favor of the bonds. Council Member Lori Davenport voted against them, and Council Member Abigail Miller abstained.
Ziegler, on the other hand, is critical of the development. Specifically, he was worried that the construction may affect the stability of the hill, increasing risks for landslides and flooding, which many parts of the region are already prone to. He was also worried about the effects the development will have on traffic.
“So people are real concerned, especially on the streets on the east side, about accessibility, getting up there,” Ziegler said. “Traffic on the highway here in Ludlow is very bad during rush hour. How much is this going to add?”
Still, both candidates expressed a desire to build out the city’s business landscape.
Knight also said that she would like to improve the sidewalks throughout the city, especially as it pertains to students of the local school district, many of whom walk to school.
“You [home owners] are responsible for fixing the sidewalk right in front of your house,” Knight said. “I don’t think citizens know that, but either way, I would love for the city to be able to take over ownership of that.”
She said that she’s currently in talks with the city administrator and mayor about possibly getting funding from the state to finance sidewalk improvements throughout the city. Legal details still need to be hammered out, though, she said, so many of those discussions are still preliminary.
Ziegler said that he’d like to see more clarity from the city about tax policy.
“People are getting tired of being taxed,” Ziegler said. “Make us understand why you’re taxing us, and it’s not being clearly explained.”
Overall, Ziegler said, he’d like to see more efforts from the city to keep everyone informed.
“I think the biggest thing right now is most of the people that I know, and I’ve been in Ludlow all my life, just feel like they don’t find out anything,” Ziegler said. “They’re not told anything, unless they come to a council meeting and really hold their feet to the fire and ask questions.”
“I love being here, and I care about Ludlow’s future,” Knight concluded. “Not at the expense of current residents, but I think it’s a balance between looking at today and looking at tomorrow.”
“We can disagree on some of these issues, and we can disagree with exactly how we’re executing different things,” Wright said. “But to have two people that, I think, do care about the community, I think it’s really valuable.”
Ludlow residents can cast their votes for either Knight or Ziegler in the general election next week.