Covington voters will have eight choices as they vote on their next city commission. That four-member body appoints the city manager, who is responsible for Covington's day-to-day operations. The mayor presides over the commission and also votes with the it on issues decided by the commission.
We sent a candidate survey to all eight commission candidates. Below are incumbent Tim Downing's responses, which have been lightly edited for clarity and style only.
You may also want to read:
- Candidate Tim Acri's answers
- Candidate Bradie Bowen's answers
- Candidate Cari McMurtry Garriga's answers
- Candidate Shannon Smith did not respond
- Candidate James Toebbe did not respond
- Candidate Bill Wells' answers
- Candidate Aaron Wolpert's answers
- Or, return to the election guide
Please briefly describe your reasons for seeking this office.
I have lived in Covington most of my life, nearly 30 years. As a child growing up across from Holmes, attending church in Latonia, living in Monte Casino during college and now South Covington, it has been my home for over a decade. During that time I’ve been a part of countless community cleanups, youth church events, and everything from bake sales to volunteering to teach math at the Grateful Life Center for those trying to get their GED.
I’ve had the honor of serving on the Covington City Commission for the past eight years where I’ve introduced or supported legislation to help further these kinds of efforts in our community: the Neighborhood Grant program that allows communities to apply for city funds to beautify their corner of the city; small business façade grant program to help the businesses in our community; fully staffed police, fire and code enforcement; developing new and unique ways to attract strong talent to our community for the safety of our residents; first-time home buyer incentive programs to help bridge the gap and increase home ownership in our area; enhanced technology for code enforcement and street repair, enabling us to address resident concerns faster.
I’m proud to say that the list is extensive, but the work isn’t done yet. I’m looking forward to continuing as a champion for our residents in the next election.
I have a successful career in the private sector — that, combined with my prior experience on the commission, I have learned creative problem-solving solutions to address complex problems. I am one of the few commission candidates with experience in budgeting, finance and employee management and I want to continue to bring my business expertise to the Covington Commission and ensure our government runs effectively and efficiently. On the personal front, I’ve lived in four different neighborhoods during my 30 years here.
I know the challenges parents face in Latonia when they want to let their kids ride bikes but see commuters rolling through stop signs in their neighborhood. I know what it’s like living in Monte Casino and having the TANK bus speeding down the street. I know what it’s like living in South Covington seeing the poor drainage in the subdivision creating numerous potholes. It’s why I run for office, to continue working against these and the other issues that impact the lives of our residents every day.
Covington faced a budget shortfall this year. What can the next city commission do to assure a balanced budget and reliable basic public services in the coming years?
One of the first things I advocated for when I was elected was a multi-year budgeting process for better forecasting. If the commission and residents are aware of the larger expenditures down the road we can better plan for them. This is what helped allow us to pivot when our largest employer adjusted their work from home policies and impacted a substantial part of the city's revenue. In the short term, we modified the schedules for planned expenses, pushing the non-urgent requests further out, we had a short term hiring freeze and made the necessary changes to limit impact on the residents while maintaining responsible operation of the city. I'm pleased that based on our current projections, we are in a strong position as we head into 2025.
Northern Kentucky has significant need for more housing. What can commission do to help the housing situation in Covington?
I’m proud that Covington has many affordable housing options, especially when compared to some of the surrounding communities. Anyone who walks our streets can see that Covington is more than just a city, it is a diverse community comprised of a collection of neighborhoods. I believe that one of our highest priorities should be increasing home ownership in each neighborhood throughout our city. As commissioner, we hired a neighborhood services director as part of our plan to ensure the city is affirmatively furthering fair housing and attentive to the concentration issue. We have adjusted our code enforcement approach to ensure that absentee landlordism does not negatively impact a Covington resident’s investments in their home.
What opportunities and challenges do you see the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project bringing to Covington?
I am proud of our efforts to minimize negative disruption to our citizens during this project — from transparent sound barriers to working with the state to ensure neighborhoods stayed intact. We're using $1.3 million in federal funds from the project to establish a new swimming pool and amenities for public use. This required tremendous time from staff and elected officials, ensuring that the much-needed repairs to the bridge could be done in a way that minimized the impact to Covington.
The city has undertaken an ambitious development project on the site of the former IRS processing center. What role will commission play in maximizing this effort and helping finish the job?
I've been part of this project from Day One, and I'll continue the efforts that we laid out initially. We have replaced the street grid; we are working with developers to ensure local involvement and engagement in the process; we're creating spaces to live, work and generating opportunities to connect the city. We've been diligent in making sure that this new development is seamlessly connected and a part of our city. If we focus on creating jobs and encouraging engagement within our community, the IRS site will feel like an expansion of what makes Covington so unique vs. a new development set apart.
Advocates have been vocal about the need for better pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure in Covington. What is your stance on this issue?
Covington has some of the densest communities in northern Kentucky and boasts bike share stations, bus stops, and more. We've expanded sidewalks for greater accessibility and included bike lanes as part of future roadway plans.
Any closing observations?
I have had the pleasure of serving on the commission during these past four terms when our city has experienced a flurry of positive change — but there is still work to be done. This is why I am seeking your vote for re-election on the Covington City Commission. Why do I deserve your vote? I come to the table with ideas, not talking points. In my time on the commission, I have personally spearheaded initiatives to help drive common sense change within our city. Among them:
- Multi-year budgets for better forecasting. If the commission and the residents are aware of larger expenditures down the road, we can better plan for them. This was the first request I made as an incoming commissioner.
- Neighborhood Improvement Initiative. Each neighborhood has its own unique needs, and at times larger city issues can overlook these needs. That does not make them any less important. This fund allows individual neighborhoods to use a portion of the tax dollars collected to directly impact their community in the way that they see fit.
- Development of the Vacant Property program. When I was first elected, the city had no formal list of vacant properties it owned and no written procedure to follow for disposal. There were 150+ properties, some of which had been on our books for more than a decade requiring city maintenance and care.