Former Burnside Mayor Dean Lovins dies at 90

Feb. 27—His time as Burnside mayor might have been short, but his impact on Burnside — and the rest of Pulaski County — resonates even today.

Dean Lovins, former mayor and Burnside city councilor, passed away Friday at the age of 90.

"He was just a moral, caring person, and a person who loved his community and his family," said fellow former mayor Jim Rasnick.

Added current Mayor Robert Lawson, "He did a lot for the town. Since I've been mayor, I've seen things that he's done in the past, and I know he was a great contributor to the community. I'm so sorry to hear of his passing."

Lovins served on the council several years before being appointed as mayor on January 1, 2005. He filled out the rest of the term for Mayor Rasnick, who stepped down two years into his term due to the death of his father.

Rasnick said Lovins volunteered to step into the mayoral position.

"We switched roles. He went to be mayor and I filled his position as city councilman. And the city council approved the whole transition," said Rasnick.

Lovins took the role seriously, Rasnick said, and that two years turned out to be very busy for the bustling city. Just seven months before, Burnside voters had chosen to go "moist," meaning alcohol sales would be allowed at restaurants only, sold by the glass.

When Lovins took over, the decision was made to take in the shoreline of Lake Cumberland — in a corridor annexation — all the way to Lee's Ford Marina, claiming the Harbor Restaurant as Burnside's and giving it the right to sell alcohol.

"Dean did all of his homework," Rasnick said. "He did the right thing. He went all the way to Frankfort and met with the attorney general at the time, Greg Stumbo. And Stumbo had written the laws for annexation and told our mayor that it's a legal annexation."

Stumbo did warn him that he would likely get flack for the decision, and sure enough, there were those who opposed the move and who eventually sued the city to try to stop it.

And, as Stumbo predicted, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the annexation was legal, Rasnick pointed out.

Rasnick said he would always remember the night the council approved the annexation. "There had to be 200 people in the audience," he said, many of them from Somerset. So, when it came time to hear from citizens, Lovins stood his ground and said he wanted only to hear from Burnside residents, Rasnick said.

"He was a loving person. He loved the city of Burnside. He did what was right for the city of Burnside," Rasnick said.

While that event wasn't the only thing that happened during Lovins' administration, even Rasnick admitted it was likely what he will be remembered most for.

Rasnick said that Lovins continued as a councilor because he truly wanted to serve his city.

"He was a servant of the city of Burnside, always looking after it. I really believe that everything he did he was looking out for the city," he added.

The two of them also decided that it was time for both to step aside from the mayoral role.

"He and I handled the rough issues, and now it was time for a new mayor to come in and administer the funds," Rasnick said. "There were funds coming in for the city of Burnside. It almost doubled our budget immediately. We had monies that Burnside had never seen before."

Outside of government, he was also a caring person, Rasnick said. "He had a great family."

Rasnick also recalled that he knew Lovins even before Rasnick had moved to the area, because a member of his family had married the son of a friend of his.

Lovins was born in Rockcastle County and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

As a Somerset resident in 1976, Lovins owned several businesses.

A visitation for Lovins will take place at 11 a.m. Friday at Morris and Hislope Funeral Home, with services to follow at 1 p.m.

A full obituary for Lovins can be found on page A3 of this edition of the Commonwealth Journal.

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com