Ludlow City Council

Eight candidates are running for six open spots on the Ludlow City Council in 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.

Sarah Thompson and Paula Graszus are the two challenger candidates in the election. The remaining candidates, Stephen Chapman, Lori Davenport, Samantha Matthews Frank, Abigail Miller, Julia Navarre and David Ziegler, are incumbents.

Chapman, Davenport and Miller did not submit head shots to LINK nky.

The dynamic at the Ludlow municipal government is among the most contentious in the county with the divisions emerging around issues of development and government operations.

This came out in the candidates’ correspondence with LINK nky.

“The discord and negativity shown by some of the current council members is very disappointing and frustrating,” Graszus said. “I feel like these issues are slowing the progress that could be moving our city forward.”

In particular, disagreement has emerged around Cityview Station, a Fischer Homes development currently under construction in the hills above Highway Avenue. The Kenton County Planning Commission voted 14-1 against the project in June of 2021, due to concerns of instability with the hillside. This was based on history of the land and slippage that had occurred in the past. Two months later, Ludlow council members from the time voted unanimously to reject the planning commission’s recommendation, enabling the development to continue.

Proponents of the development claim that it’s important for drawing in tax revenue to pay for city services. Critics, on the other hand, worry about the development’s effect on the hillside, including recent flooding that has occurred.

Davenport, Miller and Ziegler have all come out against the development. Chapman, Graszus, and Navarre are in favor of it. Thompson and Matthews Frank, on the other hand, did not come out explicitly for or against the development in their correspondence with LINK nky.

“The development is here to stay whether we like it or not,” Matthews Frank said. “Our best plan of action as a city is to hold the developers accountable and try our best to minimize the negative impact the project has on the surrounding neighbors and the environment.”

Davenport and Miller both pushed for greater transparency and accountability when it came to public officials.

“My campaign will focus on keeping everyone (and I mean everyone: council, city staff, developers, citizens, etc.) honest and seeking truth and transparency in all things,” Miller said.

“Encouraging ethical practices is crucial,” Davenport said. “I would support initiatives that establish codes of conduct and accountability measures for city officials. Additionally, fostering community dialogue is essential. We need town halls or forums where residents can voice their concerns and solutions to local leaders and ensure their voices are heard and acted upon, as this is their city.”

Other issues on the minds of the candidates included investment into city infrastructure, parks as well as residential and commercial growth. Most of the candidates advocated for policies supporting small business growth in the community.

“We must move forward if we desire to continue growth, continue to enhance our city parks, bring in activities and organizations to support the children, develop groups and activities to young adults,” Navarre said.

Thompson and Matthews Frank expressed similar sentiments.

Zeigler and Davenport both recommended hiring a new full-time city administrator, a position with some controversy behind it.

Miller pitched the idea of the city “buying homes and businesses that are for sale, rehabbing them to their former glory, and leasing and/or selling them to benefit the city’s coffers (and thereby hopefully lowering property tax rates) while maintaining the historical aesthetic.”

Chapman and Matthews Frank pointed to the Riverfront Commons trails connecting Ludlow and Covington as a key development in the city. Davenport, likewise, cited the riverfront generally as a site for potential redevelopment.

Finally, Graszus, Miller and Davenport all advocated for expanded communications infrastructure, such as regular email updates to residents and an expanded social media presence, so residents could stay in the loop about city business.