ELECTION PREVIEW: Transparency a key issue for London City Council candidates

Oct. 19—London City Council is on the cusp of a major turnover with only two incumbents in the race for the six open seats. That means at least two-thirds of the council will be newly elected come January.

Here's a bit of information about the 12 candidates running for a seat on the nonpartisan council:

Kip Jervis

Jervis is finishing out his first term on the council. Prior to moving to London, he served on the East Bernstadt Board of Education for 10 years. He owns and operates KJ Music Radio.

Among his accomplishments as a council member, Jervis points to amending an antiquated ethics ordinance and replacing a defunct ethics board.

"We've seen improvements in many areas, but there is still much to be done," Jervis said. "I still would like to see us putting our meetings online. I think with every decision we make, the public should be informed."

Jervis is also pleased with several new annexations, which he says will benefit London's citizens now and in the long run.

While campaigning, Jervis has found "voters feel they're taxed to death, and they're afraid of anything new coming out of their pocket.

"The pandemic put us behind the ball in many ways," Jervis continued, "but I feel we're better than par when it comes to jobs and industrial development. Obviously that's always a concern."

Jervis added that his approach to solving problems involves resolving differences in order to move forward. Self-employed, he takes pride in being his own man without taking part in political cliques.

Jervis and his wife Tammy have two children.

Kelly Smith Greene

Greene, retired from the Laurel County Board of Education, first served two terms on London City Council beginning in 2014 and was re-elected in 2020. If re-elected, she will be the senior council member, with many hours of training through the Kentucky League of Cities.

As a council member, Greene has prided herself on being a voice for the people.

"We've been through several situations where I was able to rally the people to the meetings which in turn changed the council's decision," Greene said. "I'm proud of just being able to get the word out to the people because that's what we do; we work for the people. That's been the important thing to me, just making sure that they were aware of what's going on and involved in the decision making."

Greene feels that transparency could be improved by live-streamed meetings as well as public forums to hear residents' needs and/or concerns. She is also interested in attracting new businesses and enforcing the city ordinance regarding blighted property.

While most of the voters she has spoken with are talking mostly about the mayor's race, another important issue to them is economic growth. In addition to events that make downtown attractive, Greene said improving the community's workforce is important.

"We've got to get people back to work," she said. "We're having some people that's interested in our area that pays good money with great benefits, so we're going to have to provide the workforce."

Greene and her husband Gary have two grown children and currently serve as guardians to their great niece.

Chase Carson

Carson has a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Eastern Kentucky University and is currently employed by the institution. His affiliations include Unity Allies and the Mountain Association. He also serves as a Southeastern Kentucky Youth Leadership Conference board member and the Prosper Appalachia Youth Advisory Council member.

If elected to city council, Carson would like to see more investment in youth and the community.

"I want to set up a fund to build a city-operated facility for the youth that would provide them a place to safely hang out, exercise, network and study," Carson said. "The youth have been begging for more things to do in our community. This would be the first step in providing that."

Carson also advocates for inclusion with recognition of DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives. "I want to make sure London is doing everything it can to make our community a loving, caring and inclusive place for people to live and feel welcomed," he said.

Carson also wants transparency in city government. "I want to make clear where dollars are being spent," he said, adding that meetings should be livestreamed with recordings made available for those who can't attend in person.

That plays into the issue Carson has found voters to be most concerned about — trust.

"Our citizens want a city government that they know they can believe and trust in," he said. "...Through public meetings for everyone to see, thoughtful discussion, asking intuitive questions, and a commitment to the citizens of London, the issue of distrust can be resolved."

Stewart Walker

Walker owns and operates London Radio Service Inc. specializing in two-way, mission critical systems. He also worked for the city for 18 years, many of them in a supervisory role, which he said makes him well versed in project management, budget accountability and the decision-making process.

Walker is a member of the London City Fire Department as well as an honorary lifetime member of the London-Laurel County Rescue Squad. As such, he is interested in updated and reliable equipment for the city's emergency services. He proposes seeking grant funding not only for that cause but to benefit the community's public spaces, poverty stricken areas and infrastructure as well. He also would like to see all city council meetings broadcast.

If elected, Walker acknowledges his would only be one vote.

"[H]owever, if elected, I will represent the citizens of London with an open mind and weigh different options before making a decision," Walker said. "I will work with the Mayor and other council members to keep London growing in a positive direction."

When asked about the issue potential constituents seem most concerned about, Walker of choosing the best candidate to govern the city.

"As a candidate for London's City Government, I have experience as a first responder and successfully running a small business for over 35 years," Walker said. "I understand the importance of a solid budget, strong accountability, dedicated leadership, and many other attributes necessary for a city to effectively grow in a positive direction."

Marty Huff

Huff co-owns WYGE Radio, concentrating in sales and marketing. Having previously served for 10 years as a Cincinnati-area Presbyter as well as being a member of Rotary International, Huff said he has vast leadership experience.

Huff's desire to serve and be part of the team working for London's future prompted him to run for city council.

"I played all three of the big sports — football, basketball and baseball — growing up," Huff said. "I do love the team concept....Team work makes the dream work. I want to do my part so that London does things that are good for our kids and grandkids, that we're an active council and not just sitting around waiting for the next meeting."

Out on the campaign trail, he's heard from most potential voters that their biggest concern is for transparency and accountability.

"We want to elect people that you know what they say is what they do," Huff said. "They can be questioned about anything and accountable for everything. When it comes to taxpayers' money, that's a big deal."

Huff also points to traffic flow as the city grows. "I would invite dialogue with our powers that be in Frankfort and even federal authorities," he said, referring to the routing of large trucks as well as possibly widening narrow side streets.

The ultimate goal is to make London a destination where people want to go "all the time" rather than just for big events like the World Chicken Festival, Huff said.

"My antennae are up for whatever it takes to become even more attractive to businesses and residents," he said.

Huff and his wife Joyce have three children and six grandchildren.

Josh Samples

Samples owns and operates Oak Hill Gardens in downtown London, having worked with his grandparents at Minks Nursery until leaving to attend the University of Kentucky. He wants to incorporate social media to involve citizens more and ensure they are being heard.

"People who are putting their tax dollars into the city should feel like they're being heard and included in what's happening," Samples said, adding that he also wants council members to be more accessible.

This ties into what Samples has found to be the biggest concern among voters he's talked with.

"The biggest thing is where those tax dollars are going — where this money is coming from, where it's going and who is saying where it goes," he continued. "I feel like that's definitely something that I keep hearing."

Samples added that small businesses also want to be included in the city's efforts to grow.

Donnie Lee Philpot

Philpot has been in real estate for 25 years and serves on the London Planning and Zoning Board.

He's pointed to the need for better communication, both within city government and with London's citizens as well as updating policies to become more business-friendly. If elected, he would like to work toward updating the city's building codes.

"I'm a business owner/builder; I have some rentals," Philpot said. "I would like to improve on some of our building codes and some of the red tape we have to go through to build commercial and residential structures."

Philpot continued that he hasn't heard much from voters on the campaign trail, but that more transparency is needed to open up city government to its citizens.

"Most people that know me know that I'm business-minded," he said, adding that he's thrilled to have his children choose to live in London. "I think there are a lot of opportunities for us to get out and lobby for Laurel County, and bring some good-paying jobs in. We've got I-75 running right down the middle; we've got a beautiful lake and beautiful parks."

Philpot continued that he feels the current administration has done a great job with downtown and local parks though "there's always room to grow."

Philpot and his wife Neva have three children and one grandchild.

Justin R. Young

Young began his own excavating company in 1998 at the age of 22, which he says has prepared him for the daily challenges which the city faces in terms of budgets, contracts, bidding, insurance, personnel, purchasing and maintaining a fleet of trucks and heavy equipment.

Young has run for council before. Among his main concerns is what he calls the mismanagement of Levi Jackson Wilderness Park since it was received from the state. He also believes the council has passed "growth-killing" ordinances which have hurt new development. However, more transparency is foremost on Young's mind.

"I want full transparency of all city business," he said. "I advocated for term limits before the council even brought it up, which they have now voted into ordinance. I want the council meeting to be live-streamed for even more transparency for the voters.

"The voters want accountability and transparency from the council," Young continued, adding that the public also wants better notice of council meetings.

Young has also heard from business owners who have trouble dealing with the city. "These folks are important to the city and its financial livelihood," he said, "so I would look at ways to make it easier for the businesses to operate in the city limits."

Young and his wife Karlyle have two children.

Holly Little

Little is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Property Professionals, who has lived in Laurel County all her life — living in London for the last 25 years. She has served on the London Tourism Commission since 2013, which she says gives her a familiarity with city government as well as the operation of its budget.

"First and foremost, as a member of the city council, my primary responsibility will be representing the interest of the citizens of London," Little said. "Any accomplishments I desire to achieve should come second to the needs of the citizens and will involve balancing the needs of London families to ensure we have responsible growth in which all parties can prosper."

When asked about what she's hearing from voters, Little responded that they currently want a change in leadership.

"Although 'change' may be on the minds of voters, growth is really the most important issue facing voters," she said, referring back to finding balance between businesses and families. "So the next mayor and city council will need to balance the needs of business/industry with the needs of families to ensure we have necessary infrastructure, sensible ordinances (which allow businesses to operate while protecting citizens), property rights protections, and adequate police and fire protection."

Little noted that achieving such balance will allow London to be a place where her two children with husband Warren can one day settle and grow their own families.

Wes Benge

Benge is a part of senior management at HT Warehousing. Benge is interested in seeing more long-term strategic planning as well as the formation of subcommittees to offer oversight for every city department and use of technology to allow citizens to want meetings online. He feels it's important to instill voter trust back into city government.

"I think the morale for voters nationwide is down in elected officials," Benge said. "That makes it hard. We need to fight back to instill trust in elected officials for voters."

One way to do that, he continued, is to work hard to provide opportunity for all the citizens to London.

"People want to vote for somebody to represent them and not have to worry about how they're voting or what they're doing," Benge added. "They want to vote for someone they can trust to go do the right thing and them not have to hear about it or worry about it."

While transparency is one of the race's buzz words, Benge noted that most records are available but that access can be more difficult than it should be.

"We need to make that more user friendly to be able to access all records," he said, adding that the city's website should archive records as well as recordings of meetings. "All the meetings should be streamed on London's city website rather than having to rely on social media."

He and his wife Tara Deaton-Benge have two small children.

Sherrie Mays

Mays is a nurse with 41 years of experience. She rose through the ranks to become Director of Nursing and for the last six years has served as Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Baptist Health Corbin — giving her experience with managing multimillion-dollar budgets.

If elected, Mays hopes to help bring in more businesses. "I personally have children who have had to leave the area to get decent jobs," she said.

Mays also wants to help ensure the city's money is being spent wisely with a focus on citizens' needs. During her campaign, Mays said she's heard most concerns from voters about the audit released earlier this year.

"They would like to see things straightened out," Mays said. "I do have a history of working with state audits because I've worked in the hospital for years...We take responsibility for what we have, what we get from state, and address it in an appropriate manner.

"People want change and they want people who can make sure things are done correctly should we get another audit like we got in the past," she continued. "We address it and move forward."

Mays is part of the praise team at Living Hope Church, where her husband Bill is the assistant pastor. They have two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Stacy Benge

Benge has called London home all his life. With his first job at 16, he's engaged in various occupations including retail management, personal property management, tobacco farming, residential and highway construction, law enforcement, accounting and manufacturing. Benge retired in 2015 after 20 years as a probation officer in London.

"I consider myself a very well-rounded person with a working knowledge all nearly all aspects of life," he said.

If elected to council, Benge plans to eliminate unnecessary spending and ensure revenue directly benefits the city and all of its residents. He'd also like to make regulations easier for any business to start up in London, improve infrastructure (particularly aging streets and sidewalks), continue the development our the city's park system, provide easier access to city government including live-streamed meetings and more detailed budgets, and maintain public safety organizations.

"I want our community to be the envy of anyone that travels through," Benge said. "I hope that my grandchildren want to live here as much as I have."

Over the course of the campaign, Benge said he's found most voters love London and are happy.

"The most frequent concerns I received were the recent suggested irresponsible spending and the need of street repairs," he said. "Several people did mention they had called about various issues and were ignored or passed along. I assure you this will not happen if you contact Stacy Benge."

Benge and his wife Vanessa have three grown children.