The eight candidates for Owensboro City Commission tried to stand out individually while largely giving answers that echoed one another at a commission forum Tuesday night at City Hall.
With eight candidates and a 90-minute forum, answers were kept short or were sometimes simply cut off when the speaker ran out of time. All eight candidates on the November ballot — Mayor Pro Tem Bob Glenn, Tyler Goad, Steve Johnson, Commissioner Curtis Maglinger, John Ross Martin, Commissioner Sharon NeSmith, Commissioner Jeff Sanford and Pam Smith-Wright — participated in the forum.
The questions were submitted by members of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. The questions touched on some of the hot-button issues of the year, such as data centers, affordability and how to address the city’s homeless population, along with universal issues such as economic development and how to grow the city.
Data centers The first question, whether the candidates would support a data center locating inside city limits, prompted answers ranging from a direct “no” to others saying the city commission needs its own data center regulations.
“Data centers, there’s pros and cons to what it can bring,” Martin said. “From an economic standpoint, it could be fantastic for the community. From a noise pollution and recyclables standpoint, it may be the worst thing we’ve ever done.
“The biggest point to data centers in general is we have time,” Martin said. “There’s no decision that needs to be made today. …It may take a year or two, or more, to determine if a data center is right in this community, and right now it may not be right, because we need more time to consider the long-term effects.”
Sanford said he has heard strong opinions for and against data centers and that the city should establish regulations on the facilities.
“With reasonable regulation of some sort, I think that has to be looked at, no matter if one comes or not,” Sanford said. “These things are popping up everywhere, so I think we need to be ahead of the curve.”
Sanford said he does have concerns about issues such as noise, water usage and potential health impacts from data centers, but said, “But the thing I’ve learned is the newest generation of these things are a lot more efficient than the older models.
“This is not an easy issue,” Sanford said. “It’s something we all need to think about.”
Other candidates were more definitive in their opposition to a data center inside the city.
Goad, who voiced his opposition to data centers in the community in his opening statement, said, “Given the track record we have, lots and lots of data and studies that we have on-hand already, I think it’s very clear that there is too much environmental harm. There are too many documented cases of rates going up and harm being done in the communities in which these data centers are placed.
“I’m willing to admit technology has advanced and (developers) have changed designs, but I don’t see the track record for that yet,” Goad said. “Until that happens, until there is an established track record, my vote is ‘no.’ ”
“I am not in favor of data centers in the city,” Smith-Wright said. “We need to listen to our residents because they pay the taxes and need to be heard.”
If a data center did come, it would need to be “away from hospitals, schools, (and) where people are living, because we don’t know what effect that has on the human body at this point.
“Nobody can tell you if it causes any kind of diseases or mental illnesses from the noise and all the stuff that goes along with them,” Smith-Wright said.
“I don’t think we currently have a location suitable in Owensboro,” Glenn said, and that the Massie industrial site the city purchased in 2025 would not be right for a data center.
“We don’t have a proposal before us” for a data center, Glenn said, and that the city is still under the county’s one-year moratorium. Glenn said he supports the commission adopting the model data center ordinance crafted by the Kentucky Resource Council, which the organization’s website says is a “statewide public-interest environmental law and advocacy organization.”
That model ordinance “provides the most stringent and protective standards for the environment … and for the use of electricity and water,” Glenn said.
Maglinger said, “as of right now, I do not support large-scale data centers in Owensboro.”
Maglinger said, “But, with any new development, we need to bring smart growth. We need to look at providing jobs and opportunities … Our city would need to listen to residents and make sure developers understand our citizens are concerned about safety, infrastructure and especially our environment.”
Johnson said the community would have to study all aspects of a data center proposal and put guarantees about the number of jobs it would generate before moving forward.
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it; it brings in real tax revenue,” Johnson said.
“Before any project moves forward, we need to have grid studies, we need to have water studies,” Johnson said.
Regarding data center jobs, Johnson said, “There should be claw-back provisions in there; if you’re not going to provide the jobs you say you’re going to provide, there’s a way to capture that money back, period.” There would need to be an “open public process” and written commitments on jobs and factors such as water and power usage, Johnson said.
“Growth is welcome here, but it needs to earn its keep,” Johnson said.
NeSmith said the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended restrictions on data centers and added, “We are going to protect our environment.”
“There are good data centers and there are bad ones,” NeSmith said. “We’ve got to go with the future, we can’t ignore it. We need technology. But we need to make sure protections are in place.”
“We also have to make sure there’s a reason we have a data center, not just because there are 20 acres that are available,” NeSmith said.
Later, NeSmith said, “Everybody is trying to find out what’s good, what’s bad. We just need to research and make sure there is a good reason … for us to bring those here.
“We are not going to do anything that’s going to hurt our community, none of us are,” NeSmith said.
Affordability Moderator Jake Boswell said low cost of living has been one of the factors residents have cited historically as a reason they chose to live in Owensboro. When asked how candidates would “keep Owensboro competitive,” Sanford said he would want to increase the number of available houses for sale.
“The more inventory we have the lower” housing costs will be, Sanford said. “It’s supply and demand.”
The city has already done several housing projects.
The current commissioners, “did not raise taxes,” Sanford said. “Actually one of them went down.” Sanford said the commissioners “do a good job with our budget here; that’s why we don’t have to raise taxes, as others do.”
Smith-Wright said, “I think we are not doing all we can do to bring in new jobs.
“I don’t feel we go out and search for these new companies — or maybe not new companies, but a company to come to Owensboro, so the jobs pay more and people can afford to buy these houses,” Smith-Wright said. “We need better paying jobs, and that’s one of the things I want to work toward.”
Glenn said the commission has made the city competitive over the years through financing downtown development and development along Kentucky 54. Those projects “make the community a more attractive community, to draw more people here, because it’s an economy of scale.”
But affordable housing “needs to be a huge focus” in a future term. “There are not enough affordable housing units in Owensboro.”
“We are looking for new developers who will offer new affordable housing options,” Glenn said, and that, “most importantly we have worked to not raise taxes, and spend your money responsibly.”
Johnson said he would work to bring state and federal grants to the city.
“The Owensboro taxpayers deserve a commissioner that … is going to exhaust every other option before asking for more,” Johnson said. Fuel and groceries are currently expensive, Johnson said, and that the city needs “a voice that’s got a proven track record, 35 years, $130 million I’ve brought in” grants.
Johnson said he would approach issues involving funding by asking “have we pursued every grant and partnership available? Have we cut our own spending first? Can we show residents exactly what they are getting?
“If not, we are not ready to ask for more” funding from taxpayers, Johnson said.
Maglinger said, “To be competitive, we need to make sure we do whatever we can to be business-friendly.”
“Good-paying jobs; that’s what’s going to help keep costs down and be competitive,” Maglinger said.
Goad said the city needs to help grow existing businesses as well as attract new ones.
“I think there’s a lot of pie-in-the-sky, ‘let’s go find that ideal business out there that may or may not exist and bring them in to Owensboro,’ when what we could be doing is helping the mom and pops grow into bigger businesses that employ people right here and eventually provide bigger and bigger paychecks,” Goad said.
Goad said the high schools and colleges need to work with businesses to determine “what our businesses need, so we can grow them.”
On a similar note, Martin said he is developing a mentorship program to bring middle school and high school students into the workforce in the former Likens Building on Frederica Street.
“That not only supports local businesses … but it also supports new businesses, because we have the talent pool that has a reason to stay in Owensboro,” Martin said.
As a developer, “I have phone calls every day from people around the county, and sell Owensboro daily,” Martin said.
NeSmith said to be competitive as a city, “You have to look at our city’s broader mission, which is economic development, neighborhood quality, community facilities and efficient services.
“We need a balanced budget that invests in these areas without a tax increase,” NeSmith said.
Homelessness The homeless population has been a topic in front of the public after residents near Kendall-Perkins Park complained of vandalism, alleged drug use and other inappropriate activity in the park and surrounding neighborhoods.
“There are always going to be homeless people,” NeSmith said. “We just need to figure out how to provide the facilities, so when people want to change, they have the opportunity.”
NeSmith said the city should increase the size of OPD, “not to arrest people, but to encourage people and find them other things.”
“Our policemen offer, ‘do you want to go to a shelter?’ and they’ll say, ‘no.’ ” NeSmith said.
Homeless shelters and services for the homeless should not all be located in the city’s west side neighborhoods, NeSmith said.
When asked how candidates planned to address the homeless issue, Maglinger said the city needs to work with OPD and with agencies that offer services to the homeless.
“There’s not a single, silver bullet answer. It involves mental (illness), addiction, violence, housing,” Maglinger said.
People can’t be removed from public parks if they are not engaged in illegal activity, Maglinger said. The city should be “working with our police department and other resource agencies to do whatever we can to make sure our parks and anything else is as safe as it can be for our citizens.”
Smith-Wright said, “If you’ve been by Kendall-Perkins Park, you’ve seen (the park shelter) is full of people laying on the tables, and we have that same problem at English Park.
“The parks are public places, but there ought to be some kind of regulation on how long you can stay there. Will it be loitering if you’re there 20 hours?” Smith-Wright said. OPD has increased patrols around Kendall-Perkins Park, she said.
“We want all of our parks as safe as Smothers Park,” Smith-Wright said.
Johnson said, “You really can’t talk about this issue without talking about housing and affordability.
“Housing affordability and homelessness are connected,” Johnson said. City growth “has to include housing that families can afford, and there’s some good thoughts out there on how you can do that.
“On homelessness, I want to fix it; I don’t want to just manage it, I want to fix it,” Johnson said.
The cities of Houston and Chattanooga have both seen sharp declines in their homeless population, Johnson said, and that Owensboro officials should consult with those cities.
Goad said he would support local agencies creating a “response team” that would replace OPD patrols, with those teams going to homeless encampments “and bringing those services to the people that need it and potentially bringing them to a homeless shelter.
“I see a lot of over-policing in these issues, and I would like to see a lot more social response,” Goad said.
Martin said, from talking with homeless people, “80 or 90% are not from Owensboro.
“So, take care of our own, yes, most certainly,” Martin said.
The city needs an “exit strategy” on homelessness, Martin said.
“When they come into town, provide them a path home,” Martin said.
Glenn said he supports creating a “hygiene center,” where the homeless can clean up, charge their cellphones and get other services.
“We need to look at a public-private partnership to do that,” Glenn said. When the Elizabeth Munday Center is vacated by the senior center, the building could be used for “rapid rehousing” for the homeless, Glenn said.
Sanford said a focus for him is stopping vandalism and inappropriate activity in city parks.
Sanford said the issue of homelessness starts with families.
“We can throw money at any situation we want, but when you raise your kids right … you’ll stop a lot of this stuff,” Sanford said.
Many homeless “are coming from other places,” Sanford said. “We are a victim of our own success. We have great facilities (for the homeless) and they come from everywhere.
“I want to say to these other counties: You need to help pay for it,” Sanford said, and added, “As far as the parks, they are not going to destroy our parks.”
The candidates bring a wide variety of professional and government experience. Martin and Sanford work in real estate and development; Johnson has worked in county and federal government and the Bluegrass Music Initiative; Goad is a retired Navy officer and instructor at Daviess County High School; Glenn is a college professor; NeSmith manages the Hampton Inn & Suites downtown; and Maglinger runs his own audio and video business. Smith-Wright has served multiple terms as a city commissioner and is chair of the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County.
The election is Nov. 3.
By James Mayse Messenger-Inquirer