Highland Heights City Council (8 candidates, vote for 6)
Click on the candidate’s names to learn more about them:
- Deborah Ball*
- John Braun*
- Gary Chinn*
- Patricia Hayley – did not respond for comment
- Rene Heinrich*
- Jesse Hockenbury
- John Hoffert*
Deborah Ball
In 2006, Deborah Ball became a resident of Highland Heights and hasn’t looked back since.
When it comes to her plans for what she hopes to do that impacts Highland Heights citizens, Ball said the answer is simple:
“Exactly what I have been doing since I was first elected to council,” she said. “I look at all the opportunities presented to the council from as many perspectives as I can. I discuss those opportunities with many different constituents to get their input, and I make a decision that I think will benefit both the residents and the city.”
Ball said that it is the other residents she’s gotten to know throughout the years she’s spent in the city that has made her stay in nearly 20 years.
“My first thought would be my neighbors—they are the best,” Ball said. “Everyone involved with the city wants it to thrive. We have a safe city thanks to our Police Department. Our streets and green spaces are well maintained because of the Public Works Staff. From my experience, complaints are looked into and resolved as soon as they possibly can be.”
Her interest in wanting to be involved with city council stemmed from members in her family who also served in local city council roles. Ball’s uncle served as the mayor of Southgate, and Ball’s father was a Cold Spring city council member.
In addition to her interests in city involvement, Ball has many others including spending time working outside in her yard, taking two mosaic classes and more.
“I enjoy working in my yard and flowers. I have rescue dogs and cats, which are my top priority. I take two mosaic classes a week and work 2 days a week. When I can fit it in, I love to read,” Ball said.
Ball wants residents to know she has enjoyed council and that she has work she’d like to finish if elected for another term.
“I have enjoyed being on council and working for the residents,” Ball said.”There are possibilities for major development in the city and I would like to make sure my constituents are a part of those developments, and their voices are heard throughout the process of making them a reality.”
Want to learn more or contact Ball? Click here
John Hoffert
13 years ago, John Hoffert became a resident of Highland Heights. His interest in wanting to be involved with city council stemmed from wanting a better understanding of the way on the inside of local city government.
“I was interested in being on the City Council to gain a better understanding of the budget process and how our city government worked. We are a very conservative city when it comes to spending as we always try to stay within the approved budget,” he said.
One of the issues that Hoffert is particularly passionate about; the city’s police department.
“My focus now is to ensure we continue to fund and support our police department properly while other cities across the country have done otherwise. Highland Heights is one of the safest cities in Northern Kentucky, which is great for our families & citizens. This is in large part to the work and leadership of our Police Chief Bill Birkenhauer as he continues to recruit and train the best officers to his team,” Hoffert said.
Other things in the city that Hoffert is passionate about is continuing to provide city employees with competitive wages along with the city’s tree board that Hoeffert heads up.
“It is important to stay competitive in salaries to keep attracting great personnel,” Hoffert said. “My other focus on council is our Tree Commission. I started the commission six years ago, and we have celebrated Arbor Day the last 6 years becoming a Tree City during that time. We have given over 100 trees to the citizens of our city and planted hundreds of others. The Committee has done a great job to improve the Tree Canopy for our city.”
It is no surprise to see Hoffert’s interest in spending time with all things green—outside of his work with the city, you can often find him outside in his and his wife’s yard along with being a member of 4-H.
“My wife Kimberly and I work in our yard daily in our flower and butterfly gardens as we love to keep our yard as nice as possible. I have been a 4-H volunteer assistant teaching kids about insects and insect collecting for the last two years,” Hoffert said.
Other committees he served on in the past were finance, communication, beautification and committees. He explained how he wishes to help keep city citizens informed.
“I have served on the finance, communication and beautification committees. I look forward to our new website and electric newsletters to keep our citizens informed,” Hoffert said.
Want to learn more or contact Hoffert? Click here.
Rene Heinrich
Born in Bavaria, Germany, Rene Heinrich joined the city of Highland Heights as a resident over 20 years ago back in 2001.
Heinrich’s plan is to continue to support community services as much as possible while making an effort to keep stagnant tax rates. Some of the community initiatives she’s most passionate about include infrastructure and the city’s police and social worker.
“I plan to continue to support our community initiatives through our amazing police force and police social worker to help stop problems before they start. I want to continue to assess our roads, sidewalks and repair what is in bad shape. I want to make sure our roads stay clear of snow and ice in the winter, that our parks and playgrounds are well-maintained and that we develop our green spaces for residents and families to enjoy for years to come,” Heinrich said.
She mentioned how the city being a great place to live is the reason she stays.
“I stay here because Highland Heights is a great place to live! We are a few minutes from pretty much anywhere, have great businesses and services, but still are small enough to know and care for our neighbors,” Heinrich said.
She’s served many terms on council and through committees like the planning and zoning committees.
“I started years ago on the planning and zoning committee and have served on several comprehensive planning committees in the past. Council was the next step. I have served now for several terms: through the bringing of NKU into the city, the planning of our new city building, and most recently the hiring of our city manager,” Heinrich said.
She continued by crediting the city’s “mom and pops” atmosphere to Mayor Greg Meyers.
“We’ve gone from a more “mom and pop shop” to now a city with vision in the time that I’ve been around, and I attribute most of that to Mayor Meyers and the support he has gotten from council,” Henrich said.
Outside of her work for the city, Heinrich owns her own law firm, Heinrich Firm, which is located in Newport. Her work at the firm includes helping with adoptions, divorces and custody work.
“I do a lot of adoptions, divorces and custody work. Protecting kids is my passion,” Heinrich said.
In addition, she’s a wife and mom of six children. Outside of spending time with her family, Heinrich loves to travel.
“Outside of work and family, I love to travel. I was born in Bavaria, Germany, and still go there whenever I can to visit my loved ones. I’m also game to go pretty much anywhere else as well,” Heinrich said.
Want to learn more or contact Heinrich? Click this link here.
John Braun
John Braun made Highland Heights his “forever home,” he said, eight years ago. For Braun, it’s more than just an address.
“To me, it means being an active member of my community and working to make the city the best possible for those that call it home,” Braun said.
Braun’s interest in joining city council stemmed from serving on Highland Heights’ Planning and Zoning commission and with the Code Enforcement commission.
He wants residents to know his dedication and experience as a city council candidate.
“ I’m a dedicated and experienced candidate for City Council. I’m proud to call this city my home and want to continue making it the best place for myself and others to call home,” Braun said.
Outside of being a sitting city council member, Braun is the store manager of Walgreens. He enjoys running and spending time with his dogs and wife, among other activities.
“My wife and I spend time with our dogs and family. I also enjoy camping and a low key life outside of work and city council,” Braun said.
He hopes the citizens of Highland Heights understand that as a city council member he has their best interest.
“I’m just not a city council candidate, but a neighbor who wants to advocate for the best for the residents of our city,” Braun said.
Want to learn more about Braun? Click here.
Gary Chinn
Gary Chinn has lived in Highland Heights for almost five decades. He’s been serving on the Highland Heights city council since 2007.
He mentioned how he enjoys seeing how the city has progressed over time as he’s been a resident and served on city council.
“I am honored to be on the city council since 2007. I enjoy working with the city and love how the city has progressed over the years. I’ve worked on the street committee and finance committee. I’ve also worked on the greenscape project and am involved with all the recreation events that the city has,” Chinn said.
He’s continued to reside in the city for that amount of time because he said it has a well-mainted nature to it. He enjoys the community members he’s gotten to know over the years along with the city’s parks and being in proximity to Northern Kentucky University.
“I choose to stay in the city because of how close we are to the college, shopping and to the downtown Cincinnati and Florence area. Also, how well the city manages our good police department and our public works department,” Chinn said.
Outside of the work he does for the city, he has two children, four grandchildren and has been married to his wife Patty for over 50 years. When he isnt working, oftentimes he’s spending time with them as well spending time in his yard gardening.
If Chinn’s photo rang a bell for you, it might be because he also is an actor who has appeared on screen with some of the industry’s biggest stars.
Want to learn more or contact Chinn? Click this link here.
Jesse Hockenbury
Living in Highland Heights began back in 2011 for Jesse Hockenbury as he moved to the area to pursue his computer information technology degree at NKU.
Fast forward to 2024, Hockenbury now holds three degrees from NKU: a bachelor’s degree, a Master’s in Business Administration and Juris doctor.
Hockenbury is an attorney in litigation and intellectual property. His law background steered the way for his interest in becoming a candidate for council in areas such as policy, economic development and the law.
His passion and background with NKU is something that he hopes to bring to council, especially bridging the gap of commuting students.
“Under our current officials we are losing a large number of commuters to our community and significant tax revenue which is a step in the wrong direction,” Hockenbury
He continued by mentioning the relocation of NKU’s Chase College of Law and UK College of Medicine at NKU.
“Specifically, it has been announced that both the NKU Chase College of Law and the UK/NKU Medical School are moving to Covington. This departure will lead to fewer high earning employees commuting to our city, potentially living in our city, spending money at the businesses of our city and as a result will result in a decrease of revenues that will be passed on to residents as a tax increase,” Hockenbury said.
Hockenbury’s solution, if he were to be added to the council, would be revitalizing the relationship between the city and the university.
“As a member of the city council I would work to re-establish and re-energize active communication with the university community. These communications would be open and collaborative, but also firm that the city and university are partners, and recognizing that the university as a partner at times receives some level of preferential treatment, but that monumental adverse actions could result in a loss of those preferential treatments,” Hockenbury said.
He also added that he’d like to keep first responders and low taxes well-maintained.
My top priorities as a member of the city would be maintaining and furthering our great community by supporting our first responders partners, maintaining low taxes and developing new sources of revenue for the city, and continuing the development of the business community and opportunities for investment,” Hockenbury said.
Hockenbury mentioned that his favorite things to do in the city include going to the local Chipotle, City BBQ and Kroger. Outside of his interest in the city, Hockenbury loves to watch sports, specifically the Cincinnati Bengals and UK Basketball. Of course, Hockenbury loves to eat fried chicken.