The thirteen candidates for Covington City Commission appeared at a forum in Latonia on Wednesday.
Each hopes to finish in the top eight in the May 20 primary to advance to the November election in which four will be elected to two-year terms. The field got a boost from the departure of three candidates from what was once a 16-candidate field.
The forum, sponsored by the Center for Great Neighborhoods, the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky, the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative, the Mainstrasse Village Association, the Latonia Business Association, the Friends of Covington, and the Awesome Collective of Covington, featured short video stump speeches by twelve of the candidates.
The event attracted roughly four dozen voters to mingle with the candidates in addition to watching the video speeches.
Incumbent Steve Frank, seeking a third term described himself as “the only bean counter who could speak well in public” when he decided to run the first time in 2010 after getting “fired up” over the city’s financial position. He also claimed sole credit for convincing Chuck Scheper to step in as mayor in 2011 following the resignation of Denny Bowman, though others, including current Mayor Sherry Carran and Scheper have disputed that. “I’m the fellow who did talk Chuck Scheper into picking up the mantle and becoming mayor,” Frank said.
Frank said that in 2010 the city was headed toward bankruptcy and only avoided it by not taking care of its streets and levies and by having loose financial controls.
“Since that time we’ve worked diligently to correct these problems,” he said, citing the hiring of an internal auditor and assistant finance director, following the revelation that former finance director Bob Due had stolen $793,000 from the city over twelve years. “We are committed to continuing this process started under Chuck Scheper. The reason for my third term is to see those changes through.”
Political newcomer and Botany Hills resident Brandon Mims said that he is running because “Covington deserves commissioners that are honest, (have) integrity, and (are) willing to work for the city and believe Covington can be better.”
“I want to fight for the firefighters to make sure we have the equipment they (need) to do their job,” Mims said, “especially to address the heroin epidemic.”
“I want to make sure we create jobs for the city that are worthwhile and give our children a future in Covington and not outside Covington,” he said. Mims added that he wants “more transparency” and would make sure that budgets and audit reports are posted publicly, and also called for gaining control of blighted areas in the city and advancing education after high school.
“I’m sure you’re wanting to know why I’m continuing to put myself through this,” incumbent Commissioner Michelle Williams said in her video. She was referencing the investigation launched by Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson about whether Williams was legally holding office after the revelation of a criminal record. Williams was ultimately permitted to hold on to the seat to which she was elected in 2012, after the state Attorney General determined that none of the misdemeanors constituted “high misdemeanors” which prohibit individuals from holding office in Kentucky.
“I’ve not finished what I’ve started,” she said. “We have so many issues that need to be taken care of and I consider myself the resident commissioner and I want to help everybody to get their problems done in their neighborhoods.”
“We have so many things we have accomplished in this past year. The momentum is moving forward and I would really like to continue that.” She said she is excited about economic development projects and wants to continue her opposition to tolls to finance the Brent Spence Bridge project. “I’m one of the main people who pushed that issue,” she said.
Williams also targeted the current budget process underway and said there are a lot of issues that she wants to see taken care of, including safety. “I support the unions and I will continue to support the unions,” she said. “I want us to feel safe in our communities and I want us to be safe and to go with the contracts that are already into the unions. For us to support them is a big deal for me.”
“We’re not going to be able to build our economic development if people don’t feel safe in Covington. This is very important.”
“I’m also here to say that I’m the one that can ask the questions that you need asked and I will continue to do that for you,” Williams said.
Incumbent Mildred Rains kept her speech short. “I’m sure you’ve had enough of that,” she joked about what other canddiates likely said. “I’m going to tell you that I will always support you as a citizen of Covington like I have in the past and I will support all the citizens of Covington from the Eastside to the Westside, south to north.”
Rains also expressed her support for the police and fire departments. “I will always support them and the AFL-CIO,” she said.
“I make decisions on an informed basis with a good faith and honest belief that the action was taken in the best interest of the city.”
“Hello, Covington, I’m back,” said Warner Allen, seeking a spot on the city commission as he tried to do in 2006 when he lost by a narrow margin to incumbent Jerry Stricker during the city’s one-year foray into the “ward system”.
“Folks, I’m running because I believe and I know and you know, too, that we can do better,” Allen said. He plugged his website where his platform is laid out and also said his focus would be on small business retention through working with the Covington Business Council, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Northern Kentucky University and others.
Additionally, Allen said he would focus on the heroin fight and would continue to oppose tolls on the Brent Spence Bridge. He said he was one of only two candidates who fought against tolls, though more than two have expressed their opposition. “I’m very proud of my efforts fighting this since last year.”
Incumbent Chuck Eilerman is seeking a second term based on his “lifelong involvement and love for the City of Covington”. “I bring a lot of unique experience and capabilities,” he said.
Eilerman cited his work for two Kentucky governors, Wendell Ford and Julian Carroll, and said that his assistance on multi-billion budgets in Frankfort is helpful at the city level.
He has sold more than $10 million in real estate in the area. Eilerman said that he thinks he has been responsive and effective since taking office in 2013.
He has recently been working on promoting the restoration of the 501 Main building in Mainstrasse Village and the planning and funding for a new Gus Sheehan Park in Botany Hills. Outside of the city he keeps busy as president of the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Council, Vice Chair of the Covington Education Foundation, and a member of the Cov 200 bicentennial planning committee.
Chas Brannen is seeking a seat on the commission, too, and expressed his support for Mayor Sherry Carran, City Manager Larry Klein, former Mayor Chuck Scheper’s efforts, Commissioner Eilerman, and the Center for Great Neighborhoods.
He referenced this support because he said that incumbents Rains and Williams do not share in it. “They’re often opposed,” he said. “They don’t support our mayor, they don’t support our Scheper plan, they don’t support (executive director) Tom DiBello (of the Center for Great Neighborhoods) and some don’t even support the Neighborhood Collaborative.”
“We don’t need that kind of negativism. We need calm, cool, adult leadership in Covington and that’s what I’ll offer to the voters of this city.”
Brannen was one of the original district judges in Kenton County. He called Eilerman, whose 2012 campaign he was heavily involved in, “as fine a commissioner as we’ve had in a long time”, and said the Scheper plan got the city back on track. He also called Klein “intelligent, impeccably honest, and hard-working”.
“I’m running because I’m concerned about the future of Covington and our kids are our future,” said candidate Christi Blair, who ran unsuccessfully for the school board in 2012. “I see all around us in the schools and our City of Covington, corruption. I don’t think it is reflective of Northern Kentucky values.”
Blair called herself “your average working class person” and said that she wants to be “the voice on the commission that stands up for the people”. “I don’t think it’s going in the direction we need it to be going into right now,” she said.
Thomas Dorning, a professional building inspector, former member of the Devou Park Advisory Board, and a 56-year resident of the city, said he wants to bring a common sense approach to city government. “I would like the City of Covington to be an attractive area for businesses to start and develop, to make the city open to new businesses.”
Dorning called for repairs and improvements for the city’s infrastructure and the addition of more tax incentives for businesses.
He also wants to see more riverfront development. “We need to bring the boats back to the riverfront. I would like to bring the boats back to Covington.”
Dorning also supports the building of a park west of the Roebling Suspension Bridge.
“The lack of civility on the current commission creates a politically unhealthy environment, distracting from the issues on which we need to focus such as attracting businesses and residents,” said Bill Wells, a longtime neighborhood activist ande first-time candidate.
“Without a strong team approach we could take a step backwards.”
“I’ve seen Covington, the city I love, decline from a vibrant community of over 60,000 drop to 40,000 while doubling in size geographically. We need effective key players who know how to work together to get things done.”
Wells said the greatest strength he would bring to the commission is the experience of serving the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative for seven years. He wants to “protect residents from the inefficient combined sewer system” and would work with the county, he said, to get Covington a seat on the Sanitation District Board. Wells also supports the creation of a land bank to better utilize the vacant structures and land parcels throughout the city. “This is the perfect opportunity to revitalize our urban core and develop new housing,” he said.
Other issues for Wells include pushing for an expanded convention center, moving the IRS into a modern building to better use the land the current structure sits on, fighting the heroin problem, and improving public safety. “I will make sure police and fire services always have the best training,” he said.
First-time candidate Jordan Huizenga is the youngest in the field. “I want to work hard to move this city forward with communication, transparency, and collaboration,” he said.
“I believe Covington needs smart, strategic leadership to realize our full potential.” Huizenga wants to develop businesses and neighborhoods and “to create a place where every child can be successful, where families and businesses can stay and strive”.
“I want to develop the assets and opportunities that first attracted my wife and I here.”
Retired Covington Police lieutenant Danny Jackson is running “to see public safety improved”.
“Our police department has lost people that have not been replaced. The fire department has lost resources,” Jackson said.
“Public safety is a key issue here in Covington with the heroin epidemic going on.”
Jackson continued his criticism of the current leadership at City Hall, citing Due’s embezzlement and the recent drop in the city’s credit rating. “I don’t think our resources are being used correctly. There is a high degree of a lack of accountability with this current commission,” he said.
“The city needs fresh leadership, someone with a proven track record,” he said. Jackson cited his police work and his more recent efforts overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Haiti where he worked for security forces.
Candidate Michael Gene Brosmore was present at Wednesday’s event but did not record a speech due to illness. He is a former Covington firefighter and is active in the Eastside neighborhood.
Story & Photos by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News
