Mayoral, city commission candidates make pitches at “Red, White & Blue”
Candidates for local and state office made their pitches to city residents Thursday night during the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s “Red, White & Blue” event at the Daviess County Courthouse.
With every elected city office on the ballot Nov. 5, candidates for mayor and city commission spoke last to small audience on the courthouse lawn.
Mayoral candidates Mayor Tom Watson and Commissioner Pam Smith-Wright both talked about the progress made during their times in office and actions city government has made to move Owensboro forward.
“This is my 12th year as mayor, and we have seen tremendous growth in our community,” Watson said. “We’ve built a lot of things people didn’t think we could ever build.
Watson said: “My prime purpose as an elected official is public safety,” and said the city has started its own police academy for the Owensboro Police Department, and is building a new fire training center.
“We are ready to do more things,” Watson said.
As in previous forums, Watson touted his state and federal connections, and using them to get city needs addressed.
“There’s very few people in our community, I don’t think, that have ever been more involved in Washington and Frankfort than I have,” Watson said. “I have very good contacts there, I have built very good relationships, and I am always happy to make a call on behalf of our community.”
Smith-Wright, who has served several terms as city commissioner over the years, said she has been active in local issues, such as the recent decision to build a new senior center near Thompson-Berry Park.
“I have been heavily involved with out veterans here,” Smith-Wright said. “I’m on the senior center board, I am the chair, and we are moving that project forward.
“I would just like to tell you, I would like you for a minute to just consider Owensboro as your living room,” Smith-Wright said. “As you consider that, you know that every once in a while you move furniture around so you can get a different perspective, so it looks different. I want to be your difference for the city of Owensboro.
“I think we need a change, we need to look at things differently, we need to step out of the box and do things differently,” Smith-Wright said.
Seven candidates are running for four city commission seats. Rafe Buckner, a business owner and chairman of the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance, said the city needs to address homelessness, while providing more support for agencies that work with young people, such as the Western Academy at the Neblett and Breaking The Cycle.
“If elected, I want to focus on the things to address our growing homeless population,” Buckner said. “I would like to see us repurpose our senior center for transitional housing.
“We also need to look into ways to create more affordable housing,” which might require zoning changes to allow different types of home, such as tiny homes, and multiple homes on the same lot, Buckner said. Regarding law enforcement, Buckner said he would want to increase mental health support for law enforcement and first responders.
Bucker said he would work with the county and Economic Development Corp. “to see if we truly need an industrial park in our community.”
Tyler Goad, an instructor for Daviess County High Schools, said he is a retired Navy intelligence officer who works with students through the school’s Junior ROTC program. Goad said he is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the Greater Owensboro Relator Association.
“I represent a change to the status quo,” Goad said. “If you need new ideas, more energy and a fresh perspective, I’m your candidate.”
Goad said he would work to bring more business to the city. “When we bring in more business and develop small business, we end up expanding the tax base without increasing taxes, which allows us to more thoroughly address the problems of homelessness, drug use and crime.
“I’m eager to get to work,” Goad said. “If you want to thank a vet, hire one.”
Jeff Sanford, who served several terms as city commissioner before losing his seat in 2022, said if reelected, working to get an industrial park for the city would be a goal.
“We have done some great things in the past, and currently we are doing some great things,” Sanford said.
In recounting a story about talking to voters, Sanford said: “I’m here because I want to give us opportunity to our kids and to our futures.” Addressing high school students in the audience, Sanford said, “I want them all to come back to Owensboro.
“I’m a big proponent of an industrial park,” Sanford said, and said he would work with the county and agencies such as the EDC and the Chamber of Commerce.
“I want them to put their track shoes on, because we are going to go forward,” Sanford said. “We are going to push and bring in jobs, and everybody is going to work extremely hard on one message, and we are going to make it happen.”
Commissioner Sharon NeSmith told the audience she want to make sure citizens know how City Hall makes decisions on issues and public concerns.
“When I first took this job … I had the idea I wanted to save the world and make everybody happy. But guess what? It didn’t take me too long to figure out that wasn’t going to happen,” NeSmith said. “So what I have committed to do is take each individual event, each project and each concern and I’m going to tell you why I can do it, and I’m going to tell you why I can’t.
“I’m going to listen, I’m going to learn, I’m going to question and I’m going to communicate,” NeSmith said. Public transportation would also be a priority, NeSmith said.
Commissioner Bob Glenn said the current commission had several accomplishments over during their term of office.
“In just the last year and a half, we have accomplished so much, and we can accomplish so much more if you’ll let me continue working for you for another two years,” Glenn said.
“We have developed a site for the new senior center, we have developed a major project for York flood control,” Glenn said. “We have increased wages and increased retention for police and fire(fighters), and we are building a new fire academy.” Glenn also touted the new indoor sports complex being built downtown, which he said would help host larger sports tournaments.
“This city is moving forward in a very positive way,” Glenn said.
Creating more affordable housing options will address homelessness, Glenn said, and said the city is “taking steps to support youth groups to reduce the pace of gun violence in our community.”
“I have the support of a number of labor unions, I have the support of the Sierra Club and I have the support of the Greater Owensboro realtors,” Glenn said, and said, “the most important endorsement I can have is on Nov. 5, to ask humbly for your support.
Curtis Maglinger, a business owner and son to former City Commissioner Larry Maglinger, said he wanted to work to support the city, which he said had supported him.
“I truly love our community,” Maglinger said. “Owensboro has been good to me, our family and our business, and it’s time for me to give back and serve our community.”
Maglinger said, “As a small business owner, I have the leadership to make those tough decisions, be open-minded, be open to change, and I have a vision for the future of Owenboro.
“I assure you I will always make every decision based on what is best for Owensboro,” Maglinger said, and said, “I’m a new generation of leadership.”
Robert Morris, who is retired, painted a less-sanguine portrait of the City Commission’s track record than other candidates.
“In my opinion, the current city commissioners have allowed homelessness, drugs, crime, gun violence and now human and sex trafficking to invade Owensboro,” Morris said. “I will make it a priority to work with the Owensboro Police Department and the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department to ensure all Owensboro citizens are safe.”
Morris said, “In the past two to four years, the past and incumbent city commissioners have allowed the disastrous national trend to invade Owensboro — high property taxes, school taxes and insurance taxes, multiplied by a high (Property Valuation Administrator) rate, have taxed good, struggling Owensboro citizens and homeowners into homelessness.”
The city has long-term debt, Morris said, and said, “we need to spend tax money, but it needs to go toward sidewalks and streets and municipalities.”
Morris said he would work with landlords “to get willing participants into affordable housing.”
Later, Morris said, “if we want to talk about economic development, we have to talk about spreading out our city lines and blending our city and county. We need more area to build industrial park land.”
The audience also heard from candidates for city and county school board, Circuit Court judge, the state Court of Appeals and for state representative and Commonwealth’s Attorney, Of the state races, only the 14th District seat is contested. Rep. Scott Lewis, the Republican incumbent addressed the audience, but Democratic challenger Chanda Garner did not attend the event.
By James Mayse Messenger-Inquirer