This story is part of our latest super issue about civic engagement and why it’s important to be part of your community. Click here for our full guide to getting involved.
There isn’t an election this year in Northern Kentucky, so you can’t vote or run for office until the next election cycle. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways for residents to engage with their communities and affect change.
“Local and state officials and your candidates or officials running for office or who are already in office, these are the people that have the most impact on your daily lives,” said Karen Brown, coordinator for the Northern Kentucky chapter of the League of Women Voters.
The League of Women Voters is one of the oldest political organizations in the country, having spun-off from the suffragette movement in the early 20th century. The league is dedicated to educating voters, advocating for voting rights and generally encouraging people to vote and stay involved in civic life. They’ve hosted registration drives and educational events with partner organizations in the community. Although they’re nonpartisan, they will advocate for specific issues, Brown said, even if they do not endorse particular policies or candidates.
The league recently released an update of their 2023 report titled “How Can They Do That? Ongoing Challenges to Transparency and Citizen Participation in Kentucky’s Legislative Process,” which concluded that “the Kentucky General Assembly has continued to fast-track
legislation in ways that make it difficult or impossible for citizens, journalists and fellow legislators to review and comment on important and sometimes controversial bills,” according to a November press release from the league.
The report encapsulates the league’s philosophy of keeping people informed. Information on what’s going on in local politics is available, Brown said, but people don’t always know how to go about finding it.
“Almost all of your city governments, their meetings, you could find them on YouTube or their Facebook page,” Brown said. “Read the minutes of public meetings, and also learn more about the elected officials in your area. Who’s on your county commission? Who’s on your city council? Who’s your mayor? Who would you talk to if you had an issue?”
Not all local government bodies broadcast their meetings, but some cities and counties will record their meetings on county-funded public access stations: Campbell Media for Campbell County and the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky for Kenton County. Some cities, such as Erlanger and Florence, record their own meetings and put them on YouTube channels. Boone County Fiscal Court maintains their own video archives. Some school boards also livestream their meetings.
Most cities also post meeting minutes (once they’re approved), budget documents, meeting agendas, contact information for public officials and other public information on their websites.
The state government also records committee meetings and floor voting sessions, which they then broadcast on Kentucky’s PBS affiliate, KET. You can watch both archived and live legislative sessions at ket.org/legislature.
The league itself has an app called League in Action, which provides timely information about state-level legislative schedules, information on bills coming down the pike and other resources to help people stay involved.
Staying informed is one thing, but what if you actually want to contribute to local governance?
Shane Noem, chair of Kenton County Republican Executive Committee, encouraged people to get started as soon as they could, even if there isn’t an election approaching.
“Start today, and don’t wait,” Noem said. “It’s always better to get involved sooner rather than later. By the time there’s an opportunity to run for office, it’s typically too late.”
Noem said that many people who aren’t familiar with the campaigning process might get overwhelmed, so he recommended helping someone else get elected first to familiarize yourself with how everything actually works.
Covington Mayor Ron Washington knows a thing or two about running for office himself and helping others run for office. Washington has been involved with political advocacy and campaigning since he was little, taking after his mother, who worked at the old Covington Community Center.
“Basically, what happened with me is, because of my mom and growing up in Covington and realizing how things get done is by putting people in office that may represent what you want, it’s important to be involved,” Washington said.
Washington campaigned for former Covington Mayor Tom Behan and Kenton County Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn, handing out literature to people in the community. Washington said that getting involved with community groups, even if they aren’t explicitly political, is a great way to learn about what’s happening on the ground and how broader political structures work. Washington started off working in mentoring programs, volunteering with the Holmes High School basketball team and working as a police officer. His first truly political position was a member of the Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority.
When he eventually decided to run for commission Washington said that one of the things that surprised him about campaigning was realizing how unaware people often were about what a local government could actually do.
“I learned that we need to do a better job of actually communicating to the public what we can and what we can’t do,” Washington said.
He gave the example of road and infrastructure repair. State routes run through many cities in Northern Kentucky, but–since they belong to the state–local governments have no say in how they’re maintained or how quickly they get repaired. As a result, people often appeal to their local representatives when an appeal to a state authority would, in fact, be more fruitful.
Cities often struggle to fill board seats, which are appointed by the local council or commission, and Washington encouraged people to apply to an open board position as a way to get involved.
“I encourage people to look through those appointments, and – they’ll tell you when the term expires – if they’re interested to please apply,” Washington said.
Open board appointments can usually be found either at a city’s website or by contacting the local clerk.
Check out the table below to learn about different organizations and programs you can get involved in.
