Candidate Questionnaire
What is your name: Kevin (Ashby) Morgan
What office are you seeking? District 4 Magistrate
What is your age: 65
Please provide family background. (I.E. spouse, children, grandchildren, pets).
I am engaged to Carol Lawson of Henderson. I have two children and three grandchildren. I have two dogs and ten cats. I also care for a feral colony of 6-10.
What is your educational background? (i.e. high school, GED, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree, etc.)
I graduated from Henderson County High School in 1979.
I earned an Associate of Science degree in General Studies from HCC.
I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business degree from Brescia University (I am a member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society and I was presented with their leadership award in 2002.)
I earned a Master of Science in Management degree from Brescia University’s Thompson School of Business in 2006.
Have you been elected to a political office previously? If so, what office(s) and when did you hold the office(s)? No.
What is your professional background? (Please include career and any boards and volunteer work.) I have had two full-time careers spanning 46 years in total. The first 24 years I worked in chemical repackaging starting as a production laborer, and maintenance employee, then rising to the corporate operations team where I designed, and managed equipment, chemical processes, and construction projects. I also managed an ISO 9001 system, the corporate publication and arranged incoming freight.
For the past 22 years I have managed automation asset repair/replacement/inventories as an embedded manager within heavy industrial accounts. I have been successful in my career, and I am well regarded for my professionalism and character in my work.
Finally, I am a coach for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Harley Davidson Dealers. I help new riders as they seek to learn to rider motorcycles safely.
My volunteer service is as follows:
· Site Based Council Member at North Jr. High
· Site Based Council Member at South Jr. High
· Founder of the Bennett Memorial Christian Assistance Program (1995-96)
· Vice President of the Henderson Humane Society
· Salvation Army Board Member 2019 – 2023
· Enrollment Committee Member – Brescia University
· I mentored a child in the school system from 2015-2020
· North Junior High PTA President
· Volunteer Martial Arts Instructor at the Henderson YMCA: 2005-2015
Why are you running for office? I have assumed many community service roles in my adult life. From mentoring a child in the school system from grade school to high school, to serving as a Site-Based-Council- Member at both junior high schools for multiple years.
I have also served with most animal welfare groups in the tristate and was a hands-on Vice President of the Humane Society for Henderson County.
The Bible instructs us to use our gifts and talents to serve our neighbors, and to do so while placing their interests above our own. After a 46-year career, it is my duty to step into politics to serve district 4 – and by
extension, all the citizens of the county – while doing so in a manner that honors God.
When I see a need, it is my responsibility to step up and help.
If elected to office, what would be your top three goals?
1. It will be my primary goal to represent all citizens fairly and impartially regarding the current alternative energy issues. We need to continue to be thorough in our review and treatment of the three industrial installations that are proposed to replace our vital
farmland for the next 30 years.
Likewise, we need to plan for what is coming next – Data Centers. We need to research and develop ordinances NOW to protect our power grid and water supply.
I have read that data centers have a massive power demand that could drive energy costs for families to extremes that will be out of reach for most families.
Likewise, my research reveals that water used to cool these industrial technology complexes will place great demands on our water systems.
For both issues, we must protect our grid by requiring any proposed data center to provide its own power source, as recently discussed by President Trump.
Likewise, we must protect our water system by requiring closed-loop systems that are not physically attached to public water supplies.
In addition, we should insure protection against possible leaks as well as wastewater out-falls for contamination. In my experience, water cooling systems use a variety of chemicals to eliminate scale deposits. We must require proper treatment of those chemicals before they enter our waste-water system.
2. We need greater property tax relief – especially for seniors, and more scrutiny on discretionary spending. We need to ask more questions and take those questions far deeper than ever before.
3. I want to ensure that all citizens have a voice in local government and feel comfortable exercising that voice. I feel we would have much more citizen participation and transparency if the Fiscal Court meetings were held in the evening when most working taxpayers would have an opportunity to attend.
In conjunction with that change, I would like to change to tenor of politics – local, State and National – from the politics of destruction and division to one that is more representative of our community. I will serve with kindness and courage, treating all the community with respect and dignity. The disrespect and contempt displayed to our residents in the past must remain in the past.
Why should people vote for you? As a constitutional republic, the rights of the individual matter as much as the majority. We, as representatives of the People, must ensure that the rights of the one are respected equally when compared to those of the many. We are not dictators. We are servants of the People. And we must respect and serve those who entrust us with their precious vote.
I do not serve a party, a demographic, or a donor. I cannot be bullied and I cannot be bought. I will represent all Henderson residents, regardless of our differences – personal and/or political. It is time for change, and I am
dedicated to bringing positive change to all residents of Henderson County.
Please feel free to add additional comments.
When I asked God how I should serve Him in my retirement, he sent me to two places – a feral cat colony and to the Court House to file for public office.
The first place was to use the helpless (cats), living in a hopeless situation, as a metaphor for what many people in our community face.
The second was to become the voice of those people who need help, while honoring God as I do.
I appreciate all those who honor me with their vote on May 19.
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