In Erlanger, the mayor’s race is one of the hottest in Northern Kentucky this year.
Two members of city council are running for the city’s top elected position, and the incumbent mayor, Tyson Hermes, who unseated longtime mayor Tom Rouse by 24 votes four years ago, is instead seeking a seat on city council.
Hermes supports Councilwoman Jessica Fette. She also has the support of Covington Mayor Joe Meyer and Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman.
Councilman Randy Blankenship is also running for the mayor’s post. He has been endorsed by Edgewood Mayor John Link and Elsmere Mayor Marty Lenhof.
It is unusual for other cities’ mayors to become vocal in any city’s elections, which demonstrates how closely watched Kenton County’s third largest city is this year.
Both candidates say the city is doing well. Erlanger landed a high-profile redevelopment of the former Showcase Cinema site, highly visible along I-75. One large addition to that will be a Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Fette said the city has reduced its tax rates over the past four years and has the revenue to keep that trend going.
“We have seen more economic development in the last four years than we have seen in previous years,” said Fette, first elected to council in 2016. “While there are always opportunities for improvement, the foundation that has been built is strong, and reinforced by an amazing team of dedicated individuals.”
Blankenship, who served on council from 2002 to 2006, and since 2009, also noted the city’s decreased tax rates.
“We have been able to reduce taxes for the last four years, and it is successful when you can reduce taxes without cutting services,” said Blankenship. “If our revenue continues to improve like this, I would like to look at our insurance premium tax to see if we can phase that out, and save the citizens more money.”
But the candidates differ, obviously, on who should lead the city as mayor, along with its unusually-large 12-member city council, for the next four years.
Fette said that her accomplishments and leadership qualities best equip her for the task.
“My career has been defined by finding inefficiencies and solving them through technology and process improvements,” said Fette, owner of Jace Solutions, a business consulting firm. “My training in Kaizen, a business method of continuous improvement, makes me driven to succeed and strive for excellence in every area of my life and business. This is an extremely beneficial quality for a mayor of a city at a turning point.”
The ideal city leader, Fette said, would not only drive the direction of Erlanger, but also serve as a goodwill ambassador for it.
Blankenship cites his experience.
“I have been an attorney for thirty-two years, I own my own business, and I manage employees and any personnel issues that come up,” Blankenship said. “A $10 million budget is different than a household budget. I have served on non-profits that have budgets of $100 million, and this is not something you can get from books, you have to do it.
“Erlanger doesn’t need a mayor who needs a big learning curve. We already have had that for the last four years. Erlanger needs a mayor who is experienced in running a government, and will build consensus every day.”
Blankenship said that, as a lawyer, he knows how to negotiate and find solutions between differing sides on an issue. Nine current members of council support his candidacy, he said.      Â
“I think it speaks volumes,” he said. “I have listened to my opponent and how there is an ‘old Erlanger’ and a ‘new Erlanger’. I don’t want to divide the city. I have lived in both parts on each side of Turkeyfoot, and there is just one Erlanger. That’s how it should be.”
If elected, Fette would target the city’s heroin problem, incentivize single-family home ownership, and encourage the business community to support beautification efforts.
She said she would continue to catch up on the city’s deferred maintenance list as it relates to streets and sidewalks. Fette would also seek potential efficiencies at the city building to lower the cost of Erlanger’s operations, without sacrificing services.
Blankenship said that he would focus on continued improvements to city parks, with one goal being the creation of a pocket park and veterans memorial on the green space at the corner of McAlpin Avenue and Dixie Highway. His son serves in the military.
He also supports the addition of a dog park at an existing city park, and more beautification throughout the city.
The city could also assist residents in improving the appearance of their homes, Blankenship said.
“If people are having trouble, or don’t know what resources are available to them, we need to find that out and help,” Blankenship said. “If a property doesn’t look good because of an absentee landlord, that is another problem and should be handled a different way.”
In her two years on council, Fette said that one accomplishment particularly stands out: the creation of the police department social worker position.
“I take pride in this because I was the lone advocate for the position. I had to work for the buy-in of our fire department and police department,” Fette said. “Once they saw the value, they helped convince the rest of council. Becky Strouse, our police social worker, is now a valuable and productive part of the Erlanger team.”
Blankenship cited the creation of the tax increment finance (TIF) district at the old Showcase cite stands out to him.
“That property sat there vacant for years. I absolutely believe that providing a TIF district to start the development of that property is the key to sparking growth within the city,” Blankenship said. “There are three major businesses. The first building has tenants, it is full. Several more are in talks, and everything should be done in 2019. With business growth, we can lower taxes on everyone else.”
Tension between members of city council and Mayor Tyson Hermes developed early when the first-term mayor entered office. Hermes wanted to dismiss longtime city attorney Frank Wichmann, but council objected. Instead, the city has been operating with one attorney to serve the city, and another to serve city council.
Erlanger is the only Northern Kentucky city with this arrangement.
“I will develop an internal policy that reevaluates every professional service that is contracted to the city on a regular basis, such as every two to four years,” Fette said. “This will make the process of maintaining contracted services in line to how businesses operate. This would apply to all contracted services except the city attorney.
“Four years ago, under the direction of my opponent, council created the position (of city council attorney) with the strict guidelines that the contract could not be revoked without majority approval of council. If council were to decide to change the contract, I would be open to their thoughts and discussions on the matter. I believe that the city would benefit from having a single attorney providing all legal services. We are the only city in the state of Kentucky that has both a city and a city council attorney. The will of the council has been to maintain this status quo since I was originally elected, and it will remain with them when I am elected as mayor.”
Blankenship opposes the dual attorney situation.
“The two-attorney situation arose from a lack of trust on the part of council, which came from an adverse relationship with the mayor,” Blankenship said. “I believe the trust that most of the council members have in me will help to resolve this situation. The original incidents that caused the discord were deplorable. The mayor can’t afford to have temper tantrums.”
Written by Patricia A. Scheyer, RCN contributor
