Incumbent City Commissioner Austin Vowels has become the latest to file to retain his seat . Vowels filed his candidacy papers for a third term with the County Clerk’s office Tuesday morning.
Vowels has released the following statement outlining his reasons for seeking re-election to the city commission:
“I grew up in Henderson and have lived here my entire life except for the years I was away for college and law school. I first ran for City Commission in 2016 to make the City of Henderson a better place to live, work and visit. I was fortunate to be elected in November 2016 and start using my Commission Seat to do just that starting in January 2017. I was also fortunate to be re-elected in November 2018 and have continued in this endeavor to improve my hometown, as I will for the rest 2020 and through my third term, if re-elected.
I am proud of my City’s progress since I took office in January 2017. To name a few particular accomplishments that I supported as a City Commissioner (and that we got done by collaborating with City Staff and many great Hendersonians and Henderson Organizations), in no particular order, we: completed a wage adjustment to make our employee wages more fair, adjusted local taxes to lower some of the highest city property tax rates in Kentucky, strengthened the smoking ban to better protect children, implemented police body cameras to better protect citizens and police, continued development of an industrial park to bring more jobs to Henderson, implemented a better lighting project to help prevent crime and make Henderson safer, started a business innovation/incubator program to assist startup businesses, funded and built the Perch Park in Downtown area along with other park amenities through the City, continued improving our infrastructure by laying sidewalks and fixing roads, continued improving infrastructure by working on flooding issues and building a new water utility facility and continuing to build on the new Municipal Service Center, settled years-long litigation to bring a multimillion dollar settlement to HMP&L, planned HMP&L’s future energy purchases and production to keep electric rates low, systematically began reviewing and revising the local code to reduce regulation and strike outdated laws, re-zoned portions of the City to allow new kinds businesses to form, struck regulations that hindered businesses and unnecessarily infringed on personal freedoms, implemented new code enforcement laws to help clean up blighted areas, revived a golf course with limited continuing costs to the City while shutting down another that cost the City more than $200,000.00 annually, passed laws to make Henderson more inclusive and fair, adjusted police pay and incentives to remain competitive in officer recruitment, relaxed Downtown Parking rules, and continued to adequately fund the utilities and emergency services to keep Henderson safe.”
Vowels adds, “There is still much to do. To name a few items, this year, I will push and attempt to drive the City to: solve the Pension/City Budget Crisis inflicted on the City by State Officials modifying the contribution amount required by the City, improve the business innovation/incubator program, see programs form to help those addicted to dangerous drug and those struggling with mental illness, assist our new economic development entity in an effort to bring more, better paying jobs, see the curbside recycling program continue, continue exploring (and likely lay out a definitive plan for) a new youth sports complex, continue exploring (and likely lay out a definitive plan for) additional event space options, continue exploring the City’s collaboration with local schools to improve their sports programs, and continue exploring the City providing better support for nonprofit organizations.”
“I ran my 2016 and 2018 Campaigns and control my City Commission Seat with three priorities in mind: (1) keeping Henderson safe, (2) improving Henderson’s economy and (3) continuing to build Henderson. You can expect the same from me in 2020 and in my third term, if re-elected. Thank you and I would appreciate your support and vote!”
Political newcomers Kevin Knight and Nick Witt have also entered the Commission race.
The deadline to file for the four open seats on the City Commission is 4pm CST this Friday, January 10th at the County Clerk’s office.