Candidates running for office in Mason County answered questions during a forum at the Maysville Community and Technical College on Tuesday.
Each candidate was allowed just over a minute to give an introduction on why they were running for office. The candidates were then asked three questions and given two minutes to answer.
The non-partisan Maysville City Commission race had the most candidates with 11 on stage. Those candidates included Bob Hendrickson, Andrew Wood, Charles Keilman, Barry Shrout, Robbie Detro, Kelly Ashley, Victor McKay, Kathryn Gilligan, Jeff Brammer, Ann Brammer and David Doyle.
Hendrickson said he believed his experience made him qualified to be a city commissioner.
“I started work as a reporter in 1978, becoming the publisher in 1993. I helped grow the newspaper and oversaw the new facility in downtown Maysville,” he said. “I understand how to read a balance sheet and meet goals. I’m a fierce proponent of open meetings and open records. I spent a career asking tough questions. I will fight for open, honest, effective city management.”
Wood said he believes his experience in practicing law, owning businesses and renovating properties makes him qualified for the position.
“I’m celebrating my 25th year of practicing law in Maysville,” he said. “I own several businesses in town and I currently have 17 rental properties. The properties were not the kind of homes I would have lived in when I bought them, but after renovations, I would proudly put any of my family in those buildings. And, I did it in a tough part of town that gets a lot of lip service-the East End.”
Keilman said he plans to work with the community to better Maysville.
“I’m a combat veteran,” he said. “I may not have leadership in city government, but I have experience in leadership and team work. I will work with the community to make our community better.”
Shrout said he has experience in several areas that he believes makes him qualified.
“I’ve worked in the transportation authority,” he said. “I’ve worked as a laborer and I have experience as a factory worker. While working in Paris, I received problem solving training. I have a broad scope of experience in different areas.”
Detro said he decided to run because people in Maysville asked him to run and he believes he can help correct the problems he sees in the city.
“I’m very passionate about what I do,” he said. “I always give 100 percent. I spent 26 years in manufacturing. I’ve worked at the jail and I’ve seen the drug problem. I look forward to working with the people in the town. The decisions I will make will not be best for the city, but best for the people in the city.”
Ashley, an incumbent of city commission, said he has served as commissioner for 12 years and sees a lot of good things happen during his time in office.
“I know we have a lot of problems in Maysville, but there are also a lot of things that are right,” he said. “Downtown is being revitalized. You can’t find an empty building downtown now. Infrastructure, such as streets, water and sewer lines are being fixed. The Danny Hay skate park has been moved to the East End. There will be new sidewalks on the West end and the B-Line will be coming through. I’m going to keep pushing for all of these things.”
McKay, also an incumbent, said he will also continue to make sure great things happen for Maysville.
“I’m proud of the work we have accomplished over the last several years,” he said. “Our downtown is thriving with new investors. The creation of the entertainment district, we now have MACA and Enviroflight. We just approved a police precinct for the East End. We’ve accomplished a lot of great things and we’re not finished.”
Gilligan said she believes there is a lot that needs to change in Maysville.
“I’ve lived in Maysville all of my life,” she said. “Most of it on East Second Street. There have been a lot of changes in Maysville. When I was young, you couldn’t find a place to park and the stores were open late on Fridays. I’d like to see it back there. We need to keep working and bring things to Maysville. We need to make it where the young people want to come back here and work. I may not know how the city government works, but I’m willing to learn.”
Jeff Brammer said he has experience working with budgets.
“I spent years working for the Maysville Fire Department,” he said. “I’ve attended the city commission meetings. I know how city government works. I oversaw the fire department budget and I made sure we stayed within the means of our budget. I’m running because sometimes we need a fresh set of eyes-someone who can be there to see how the tax dollars are spent.”
Ann Brammer said she has worked as city clerk and has knowledge of the city government day to day operation.
“Our leaders must have a vision for our city and our residents. We must be dedicated to restoring the beauty back to Maysville. As a city commission, we are held accountable to make our city better. It is a must that we have new ideas. It is our job to improve the life of the citizens who live here. I believe our best days are ahead of us.”
Doyle said he moved to Maysville three years ago and believes the city government could use an outside perspective.
“I have a 30 year corporate manager experience,” he said. “I know what it means when the buck stops at my desk. I can look at a problem and come up with a solution. Three years ago, Mary and I sat down and asked where we wanted to end up and we said Maysville, so we’ve been here for three years. I don’t know a lot of people-a lot of the movers and shakers or who has divorced who, so when I make a decision, it will be for the good of all and not only two or three people.”
The candidates were asked questions regarding how they felt about the recycling program, reformation of tax policies, which parts of the city budget they believe should be shielded if cuts were to be made, the most important challenge facing Maysville, plans to address flooding issues, ideas to reorganize the city government to use resources effectively.
In the mayor’s race, incumbent David Cartmell and Charles Cotterill spoke on why they should be elected.
Cotterill said he believes there is a lot that needs to be changed in the city.
“I was born in Maysville and I’ve lived most of my life here,” he said. “I retired from the corrections department and I’ve always worked two jobs. Right now, I run a shop downtown and I buy/sell antiques and do appraisals. I’ve talked to hundreds of people and I’ve listened to their concerns and I’ve found that their concerns mirrored mine; services and jobs. People are looking and expecting more for their tax dollars and they want better paying jobs.”
Cartmell told the audience about some of the things happening in the city and the experience he believes makes him qualified to continue as mayor.
“Heritage tourism is our growth industry,” he said. “As far as drug treatment, we have Comprehend building a $6 million facility on the avenue. I’m a volunteer. I’ve volunteered for eight years at Mason County schools. I have a dog and cat straw ministry, where I give straw for animals in the winter.”
Some of the questions asked to the mayoral candidates included their vision for the future of Maysville, thoughts on alternative transportation, including more sidewalks and bike paths, corrective actions they would make to curb flooding in downtown, top three initiatives and why they wanted to be mayor.
Danny Collins is running for school board, district three.
“I’m a 1992 graduate of Mason County High School,” he said. “When the nickel tax was first brought up, I was in favor of it. Straub Elementary School has a lot of TLC that is needed. We are responsible for taking of the schools and I’ll make sure that’s what we do.”
For County Commission, Ray Walters, Republican, and Chris O’Hearn, Democrat, talked about why they were running.
Walters said he wants to be representative for all of Mason County.
“I will not vote to raise taxes,” he said. “Not until the county decides to sell excess properties. I will represent all taxpayers and make sure the commission has the common man in mind.”
O’Hearn said he has many years of experience that he believes will help him as commissioner.
“I’m a first time politician, but a long term public servant,” he said. “As principal, I reviewed, approved and modified budgets. I’ve overseen budgets at MCHS, so I’m experienced in budgetary matters and I’ve been a part of drafting and setting policies.
The questions asked included why the candidate chose to run, the biggest issue facing Mason County and what each candidate would do to support a vibrant community.
In the jailers race, Ryan Hull, Republican, and incumbent Lisa Kern-Yeary, Democrat, discussed why they wanted to run for the position.
Hull said he has many years of experience in law enforcement and believes he can make necessary changes to the jail.
“I’m currently a deputy with the Mason County Sheriff’s Department with 17 years of experience in law enforcement. Two of those years were with the Lewis County Detention Center, where I served as a shift supervisor. I’m also a volunteer coach for the Mason County High School football program. Since we don’t have a lot of time and I can’t say everything I’m for, right before this kicked off, I posted some things on my Ryan Hull for Mason County Jailer about my platform,” he said. That’s me. That’s what I’m about.”
Kern-Yeary said there have been many accomplishments made in her time at the jail.
“It has taken me a lifetime of dedication and 23 years of experience in the correction field,” she said. “From the early age of 17, I chose this field as my career path. For 19 months, I have worked for you as your jailer. We have decreased overcrowding, increased medical coverage, increased training hours to exceed state requirement, strengthened security, started a female work staff and established an internal affairs unit. We have also installed new cameras and soon a full body scanner, which will be the first of its kind in Kentucky. Running a correctional facility requires someone qualified. I’m proud of what my dedicated staff and I have done.”
The questions asked included what the candidates would do if they had new resources to use at the jail, how they would address overcrowding, what they would save if cuts became necessary.
Candidates for 19th judicial district judge included Jeff Schumacher, incumbent, and Kim Leet Razor.
Schumacher said he believes he has the experience to continue as district judge.
“Experience is a big part of this job,” he said. “My opponent is a very nice person, but she does not have criminal law experience. We need to have criminal experience prior to becoming judge. This is not a place for on the job training. We expect our police to go through rigorous training before becoming officers, so we should expect our judges sitting on the bench to not have learned from just on the job training.”
Razor said she has more than 30 years in legal experience.
“I’ve heard cases, made findings of facts and conclusions of law,” she said. “I have served as a district judge trial commissioner and I was on call 24 hours to set bonds, issue search and arrest warrants and emergency protection orders. I’ve also set on the bench and heard civil, juvenile and probate matters. I have a passion for children, people and type of cases heard in district court. Experience is important, but so is having the proper temperament.”
The questions asked included how they would handle the large district court case load, how the county would benefit from family court, whether or not they believe the CASA program is beneficial and what they would do to manage the drug problem in the area.
The general election will be held on Nov. 6.
More information on the candidate forum can be found on the forum live stream on The Ledger Independent Facebook page.
