11 minute read
Mayor of Owensboro
Editor’s note: Mayor of Owensboro is a nonpartisan elected position. Candidate profiles have been edited only for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and otherwise appear as submitted.
LARRY CONDER
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Q&A
Ensuring that Owensboro is safe. As mayor, I have a duty to create and maintain a safe community. We tout Owensboro as a great place to live, work, play and raise a family — safely. Recent tragic events reinforce the critical need for strong leadership, with bold action intent on protecting all citizens while insisting on open and responsive communication (to) prevent bias and discrimination. As mayor, I will work to provide police body cameras, institute a Regional Police Academy, and Regionalized Central Dispatch.
1) We must position the city to take advantage of the post-COVID-19 crisis by adapting to changes in the environments of work, education and spending habits, advocating for a plan for community-wide internet access by seeking grant opportunities. “Access to internet creates opportunity.” 2) Address drug and illegal substance abuse and mental health issues with proactive community engagement for real solutions and community education and action. 3) Promote Northwest and West Parrish Avenue revitalization efforts while encouraging growth and revitalization across the city.
Simply put, I have always worked from the premise that professionals hired to do a job need the freedom and support to effectively do their jobs. My style is not to micromanage, but to be knowledgeable and informed so that I can best support the city manager and departments while promoting the city to the region and beyond. I believe in projecting confidence, trust and pride in all city employees with a genuinely caring attitude.
The mayor must project a positive image, collaborate and coordinate with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber (and) local businesses, and promote the city as a destination, while establishing incentives to locate and grow employment opportunities. The mayor is more than leader, but “cheerleader” for the city — involved and passionate for our community’s future.
Our greatest strength is our people! Owensboro has a rich history of hospitality. We have strong family values, top-notched educational opportunities, and a willing workforce. As mayor, I will continue to support the local education institutions’ efforts to increase skills training to be attractive to industry. I will make sure every person is welcome to engage in setting the direction of city-funded/-owned organizations by modifying city appointments to committees and boards. I will promote community growth and prosperity and recognize the importance and value of each person is what truly sets us apart, encourages growth and inspires innovation.
DATE OF BIRTH Sept. 3, 1960
ADDRESS 201 St. Ann St., Owensboro, KY 42303
EDUCATION Daviess County High School; Bachelor of Science in business administration, minor in economics, Brescia University; master’s degree in business administration, Murray State University
OCCUPATION Director of Operations, Public Energy Authority of Kentucky (PEAK)
ELECTED OFFICES HELD Owensboro City Commission (2017-present)
SPOUSE/ PARTNER & CHILDREN Wife Rosemary Conder; children Brad Conder, Travis Ratliff, Adrianne Condray, Chantay Taylor, Troy Ratliff, and Eric Conder; 18 grandchildren
Editor’s note: Mayor of Owensboro is a nonpartisan elected position. Candidate profiles have been edited only for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and otherwise appear as submitted.
PAMELA SMITH-WRIGHT
Q&A
I believe COVID-19 is our greatest challenge right now. I trust it is important to listen to our health professionals first, and then try to find ways to get our citizens back to work, our economy stabilized and our children back to school safely.
Roads and infrastructure, homelessness (and) revitalizing parts of our city that have been neglected through the years. That’s not to say we haven’t addressed some of our blighted areas during my tenure: the Old Germantown neighborhood, Mechanicsville, opening up Omega Street through to Parrish.
We still need to work on our flooding in some areas, but overall we have made great strides in our drainage. Of course, we can always do better. I would like to find a better way to address how we decide which streets and sidewalks (to) repair.
I think I have a democratic form of leadership style, where all key players are involved. I believe the city manager is there to manage the city and run the day-to-day operations, but if I observe an added opportunity, I will express it with not only the city manager, but also with the commissioners and leadership staff. After all, we all want the same thing: a “Great City.” I believe unity is community!
I believe the mayor can be most effective working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Tourist commission jointly. Working side by side is key in helping our city move forward. COVID-19 has impacted life for our community and our businesses. In order to get those wheels turning again economically, we need to strengthen Owensboro as a tourist destination once again, and help vacationers feel safe and confident in their holiday choice. When they visit Owensboro and stay in our hotels, it brings in tax dollars. Dining in our restaurants, visiting our city’s shops and spending money create a domino effect of success, generating jobs, which in turns helps our community. If we work in unison and share ideas, we may find ourselves on the receiving end of accomplishment.
I see our citizens as our greatest strength. I believe if all of our citizens felt valued, included and needed, there is no telling what heights we could reach. I also believe when we collaborate with public and private sectors for a common good, we cannot fail. The city of Owensboro should be about all of us working together to make our city the best it can be.
DATE OF BIRTH June 1, 1949
ADDRESS 3520 Christie Place Owensboro, KY 42301
EDUCATION Graduate of Owensboro High School; Rosebud Beauty Academy, St. Louis; Owensboro Community and Technical College; South Seas Cooking School, Captiva Island, Florida
OCCUPATION cosmetologist, caterer
ELECTED OFFICES HELD Mayor Pro Tem; Owensboro city commissioner, five terms
SPOUSE/ PARTNER & CHILDREN Husband Eugene; children Len and Starr; two grandchildren
Editor’s note: Mayor of Owensboro is a nonpartisan elected position. Candidate profiles have been edited only for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and otherwise appear as submitted.
TOM WATSON
Q&A
Without stating the obvious, the biggest challenge is still going to be the pandemic and being able to clearly communicate the focus on public health and leadership taken to ensure state and federal resources are equitably acquired and distributed. The relationship I have built over the years with local, state and federal officials will play a very important role in achieving a good outcome. Increasing our footprint, with the lack of land because of flood plain issues, makes it increasingly difficult to grow. Without growth, progress is stymied. As chairperson of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, I have begun the process to create an outer loop from HWY 81 to HWY 431 to create an industrial site for industry to be located. Obviously continue aggressive annexation as the city has been doing for years. Work with state and federal governments to find grant opportunities to revitalize blighted areas and areas of low-income housing to improve the lives of the citizens and businesses in Owensboro. To continue to provide first-class public safety, which is the number one responsibility of an elected official. Continue to partner with Daviess County Fiscal Court, all developers, post-secondary education and all regional partners when it proves to be mutually beneficial for all parties.
1. Continue to provide excellent city services while being fiscally conservative. 2. Everything that I do will have an eye on economic development. 3. Continue to stay engaged with local, regional, state and federal elected officials.
My motto is “All ideas are welcome.” I will continue to stay as accessible and as visible in the community as I have been, while still working in the private sector. I will meet the needs of public safety and continue to work to develop areas of our community that have been underserved.
As with all components, I consider the economic impact, tourism, as a component of our economy and will continue to support the different venues as we need them to be successful not only for themselves, but for our community as well.
(Our) greatest strengths are our people. Working with the leaders of our health care system, our great public and private sector educational institutions and our strong agricultural and manufacturing components, the diversity of our cooperative citizens gives us an advantage when other communities lose ground.
DATE OF BIRTH Nov. 15, 1950
ADDRESS 3622 Bridgepointe, Owensboro, KY, 42303
EDUCATION Owensboro High School graduate; studied at Northwestern University in the Prosthetics Program at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
OCCUPATION board-certified prosthetist, American Board of Certification for Prosthetic and Orthotics; co-owner with wife Barbara Watson of Tom Watson’s Prosthetic and Orthotic Lab, Inc, Owensboro and Evansville, Indiana
ELECTED OFFICES HELD Mayor of Owensboro (2005-2008, 2017-present)
SPOUSE/ PARTNER & CHILDREN Wife Barbara Aull Watson; two sons; seven grandchildren
Editor’s note: Mayor of Owensboro is a nonpartisan elected position. Candidate profiles have been edited only for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and otherwise appear as submitted.
DRACIN WILLIAMS
Q&A
Our most pressing challenge is increasing wage growth from our current 3% to 3.5% or higher. While 3% may be healthy for our city, workers do not reap the benefits of wage growth until it reaches or surpasses 3.5% annually. I would prioritize two policy reforms to increase wages and cultivate a collective worker voice. We can promote wage growth by: raising standards on government spending and developing high-quality training programs. Our current local officials have made several major project commitments with our Highway 54 development and downtown projects. Many of these projects are largely funded through taxpayer funds. Local leadership must leverage those funds to improve local wage standards and support good jobs. All taxpayer-funded projects should attach standards for contractors to provide a prevailing wage and guarantee contractors maintain neutrality if employees choose to organize.
In addition, city officials can grow wages by building a more highly trained workforce. We must develop high-quality training programs in home care and hospitality. This will ensure that essential services are delivered efficiently and develop a more specialized workforce that will attract future employers.
Our local economy is growing, but most workers are not reaping its benefits. It will be my role as mayor to guarantee all workers receive their fair share.
Housing, education (and) civic engagement
The leadership style I use is the democratic style. This leadership style is important for local government because it allows for the exchange of ideas (and) builds trust and cohesion toward meeting common goals. We know that in order to maintain a successful community, it will be important (that) all of us be engaged in the decision-making process.
One of the central responsibilities of a mayor is promoting tourism and economic development. The mayor is the first face people see and an important voice for the city. We need a mayor that can promote Owensboro with the energy and passion it deserves and inspires people to want to be a part of our great city, whether as a visitor, an employer or a resident.
Owensboro’s greatest asset is its creative spirit. Given many of our long-standing issues, it will be vital that city leaders cultivate the creative spirit in our city, in order to develop new solutions and new ways of being in community with one another. It is through our creativity that Owensboro has been and will continue to be one of the most special cities in Kentucky and America. As ayor, I would promote the creative spirit of our city by bringing new voices into the process of creating “A New Narrative” for our city.
ADDRESS 1007 Gardenside Drive, Owensboro, KY 42301
EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in history, Western Kentucky University; Master of Science in Organizational Change and Leadership, Colorado Technical University
OCCUPATION Drug Rehab Resident Monitor
ELECTED OFFICES HELD None
SPOUSE/ PARTNER & CHILDREN No spouse or kids. Proud uncle.
