After months of court hearings and confusion, Kim Tuyn is now the final member of the Union City Commission.
Tuyn assumed office following an appointment at a special meeting on Tuesday. The city put out a call for applications earlier this month to fill the final seat on the commission after Doug Bine, John Mefford, and George Eldridge were appointed on Feb. 3.
“While all of the candidates would bring strengths to the position, I felt like one person provided a wealth of work and personal experience, as well as a desire for public service as shown in their volunteer work in and around the community,” said Mefford, who conducted the interviews for the commission candidates.
The final vote for Tuyn’s appointment was three in favor from Mefford, Bine and Eldridge. The mayor abstained from the vote as he did not take part in the interview process.
At the end of January, Boone County Circuit Court Judge Richard Brueggemann ousted all members of that commission, except the mayor, following a court battle that began shortly after the general election in November. The commission formerly consisted of Solomon, Mefford, Brian Garner and Eric Dulaney. The legal proceedings stemmed from reports of wrong ballot distributions at two Union precincts on Election Day.
Bine, who lost his bid for reelection, according to the election results before the court case, later challenged the election in court. Another commissioner, Jeremy Ramage, who had won a reelection bid in November, vacated his seat in December.
Bine was initially the one who advocated for a new election, but Brueggeman argued that Kentucky law did not grant the court the power to call a new election, instead opting to grant the mayor (who was not up for reelection in 2024), the right to begin appointing replacements.
Solomon appointed Mefford for his first appointment, who, in turn, nominated Bine, who then nominated George Eldridge, who did not run for election at all in November. Dulaney, who got the second most votes, according to the election results before the court case, and Garner were both passed over for appointments, much to the surprise of many local residents.
Concern among residents and elected officials alike arose after the appointments on Feb. 3. Some critics felt the appointments were arbitrary or a breach of democratic norms.
Garner and his attorney would later appeal Judge Bruegemann’s decision. Bine and his attorney then filed a motion with the appellate court to dismiss the appeal, arguing the circuit court had not, in fact, tendered a final decision on the matter and that, therefore, the appeals court was not the proper place to hear the appeal. They also argued that Garner had improperly filed his appeal paperwork and failed to furnish a proper bond for the court to hear the case.
Garner and his attorney later filed a response, granting that the appeal was premature and asking the court to dismiss the case without prejudice, which would allow Garner to bring the matter before the appeals court again in the future if he wanted to.
Garner attended the meeting on Tuesday, but he did not speak. However, statements Garner sent to LINK nky suggested he was not interested in pursuing the appeal further.
“Though this legal avenue has reached its end, my fight for the people of Union is far from over,” Garner wrote in an email to LINK nky. “I remain committed to ensuring that our local government is accountable, transparent and truly representative of those it serves. The residents of Union deserve leaders who respect their voices, and I will continue working to uphold the integrity of our community’s democracy.”
Tuyn briefly discussed her background with LINK nky after the meeting. She recently retired after a “33-year work history in regulatory, health, safety and environmental sustainability,” she said.
She also sits on the board for Gorman Heritage Farm in Evendale, Ohio, and is active as a volunteer in several local service organizations.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting things going on here with the Promenade and with the Union Town Square coming up,” Tuyn said when asked about what she wanted to focus on while in office. “Just as all residents, we want managed growth here, which is important for the city, and I think it’s just a great place to live.”