Castlen, Kunze debate at Chamber forum
The candidates to be Daviess County’s next judge-executive squared off Thursday morning at the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Rooster Booster breakfast, each making their case for why they should be the next head of county government.
Republican Charlie Castlen and Democrat Bruce Kunze both touted the experience they’d bring to the job.
Castlen is the current Central District county commissioner who also served five terms as an Owensboro City commissioner, while Kunze served as county commissioner from 1998 to 2010 and also worked in the Daviess County Public Schools.
The two were given opportunities to make opening and closing statements, and in between answered a series of questions from Messenger-Inquirer Executive Editor Matt Francis.
Kunze said he’d shake things up, saying the current county government leadership has become complacent.
“The judge-executive sets the tone for the Fiscal Court. If the judge-executive is upbeat and excited about what’s going on in the community, I hope that sense will flow out into the rest of the community,” he said. “And that’s what I don’t think we have right now. I think we’ve reached a plateau. There are good things happening, but I think we can do much better.”
Castlen, a self-described “dyed-in-the-wool conservative,” espoused his philosophy of limited government.
“Some people see government as the first place you go to get help. It should be a safety net, where if you have to have assistance, you come to us,” he said.
Kunze said one of the first things he’d do as judge-executive is address certain areas of the county that he says have fallen into disrepair.
“One of the first things we need to do is get the interchanges on the four-lane roads coming into Owensboro fixed up. They’re in terrible condition. If you’re coming in from out of town and using the interchange, the grass is overgrown, the trees are overgrown,” he said. “It’s not a good image for our community. We need to show we’re proud of the community.”
Castlen said he would begin his tenure as judge-executive by meeting the various CEOs and company managers around the county to hear what they think are the most pressing challenges they face conducting business.
Kunze said he would push for salary raises within the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center.
“The Detention Center employees — which is a tough job I don’t think anyone in this room would want — need to have an increase in their salaries,” he said.
Castlen promised his constituents that they’d receive an “honest assessment” from him, and that he wouldn’t make promises that he can’t keep.
“Sometimes you have to say no. Sometimes, because of the constraints of government, you can’t always say yes. But one thing you’ll get from me is an honest assessment. And if I can’t help you, I’m going to say it,” he said. “I’ve had people call me and say, ‘Hey, I need my neighbor to do this or that.’ And I tell them it’s a civil issue, not a government issue.”
A full video of the debate can be found on the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHAEOKdEyh8.
By Ken Silva Messenger-Inquirer