Independence City Council

The Independence City Council has nine candidates vying for six open seats this November.

The city council is the city’s primary legislative body. It institutes local laws, passes a city budget and generally represents the people’s interests in the municipal government. The mayor, whose seat is not up for election in November, can veto laws passed by the council, but the council can vote to override him with a majority vote. Council positions are nonpartisan, and council members serve two-year terms.

Most of the Independence candidates this year are incumbents: Tom Brinker, Carol Franzen, Dave Shafer, Greg Steffen, Chris Vogelpohl and Greg Waite. The challengers are Chris Barbour, Matt Fehler and Bryan Roemer.

There were a handful of recurring themes in LINK nky’s correspondence with the candidates, namely development, public safety and infrastructure.

Development has been a recurring topic in public meetings throughout the past year. Most recently, a large condo complex on Madison Pike drew outcry from residents who expressed concerns about traffic and density. Conversely, a large tourist development called the Downs of Nicholson has garnered widespread support among elected officials.

Density and the potential loss of Independence’s historic, small town feel are common criticisms among opponents to more development. Although critics of development frequently show up to public meetings, both in Independence and throughout the county generally, it’s unclear how truly widespread that attitude is among Independence residents writ large.

At any rate, most candidates were cautiously optimistic about development in the city.

Waite, a former firefighter, stated that the city needs to focus on “smart development. We cannot stop everything that’s proposed, but we can be smart on how things are developed.”

Most of the other candidates echoed this sentiment–the council itself had little power to stop developers from building on their own property, but there were measures the city could take to attract development in a deliberate and meaningful way.

Franzen, who’s sat on the council since 2002, said that growth was inevitable but “revitalizing the buildings and business downtown will help keep that feel.” Vogelpohl reiterated this attitude, especially as it related to the historic Kenton County Courthouse.

Roemer, a stock plan administrator with a MBA from Louisiana State University, said that development needed to be “sustainable.”

“This means we promote smart commercial expansion, support locally-owned businesses and improve infrastructure to meet future demand,” he said. “By focusing on these areas, we can create more opportunities for residents and enhance our quality of life.”

Steffen was the only candidate who explicitly came out against more development, something that is reflected in his voting record.

“I am choosing to run again to continue to be a voice against development,” Steffen said. “Most of the time I am a lone voice. Someone needs to speak out against the rampant over-development we are experiencing.”

Steffen’s main concern was with residential development. On the other hand, he was complimentary of much of the commercial development that’s recently come to the city as it’s allowed the city “to continue to hold the property tax at its current rate for several years. I have been opposed to some of the placement of new business development, but overall, it is a good thing.”

As it related to what the council’s priorities ought to be and where the city should put more its resources, there was near universal consensus among the candidates–public safety.

“Prioritizing safety can allow us to keep providing fun recreational programs, parks and a future splash pad for people to enjoy,” Franzen, who was instrumental in the planning process for the city’s proposed splash pad, said.

Vogelpohl, a retired firefighter and paramedic who works as a liaison between St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the local fire departments, has advocated for the installation of AEDs (automated external defibrillators) throughout the city, especially in police cruisers.

“We have a goal to place them in every cruiser on patrol in a given shift by the end of 2024,” Vogelpohl said.

Franzen, Barbour, Roemer, Steffen, Waite and Vogelpohl also emphasized the importance of investment in public infrastructure, such as the city’s parks and roads.

Fehler, a retired Independence police officer and detective, was more open-ended in his priorities compared to the other candidates, saying his “primary focus as a City Council member will be to listen to and represent the voices of Independence’s citizens. I am committed to engaging with the community, gathering input and ensuring that the needs and concerns of our residents guide the decisions I make.”

Tom Brinker, who’s been on the council for 16 years, said “the challenge is being fiscally responsible when it comes to funding new projects,” adding that the current council has done a good job of thinking about how to efficiently spend tax dollars.

He added he wanted to “continue to provide a budget that meets the needs of the city without increasing taxes.”

Finally, he expressed his support for the proposed splash pad, a project that has proven popular among the current council.

Franzen encouraged Independence residents to come to public meetings and stay informed about city business.

“I want to encourage our citizens to contact city council or attend meetings and let us know what your concerns and desires are for our city,” Franzen said. “It helps when making decisions to know how people are feeling on the issues.”