Northern Kentucky County Commissioner candidates gathered Wednesday to talk about their ideas for balancing economic growth with environmental preservation. But for many, the most important focus was addressing issues affecting the counties now, before growth happens.
The forum took place in Erlanger at the Kenton County Public Library and was organized by Green Umbrella, in collaboration with other green space and environmental organizations across the region.
As members of the fiscal court, county commissioners can set county-wide policies, act as a point of contact for community needs and manage county budgets — which can often include, or exclude, environmental priorities.
Only Democratic candidates for County Commissioner from Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties attended. They included: Debra Waller, Boone County District 1; Lianna Nguyen, Boone County District 2; Benjamin Bach, Kenton County District 2; Jordan Baldridge, Kenton County District 3; Sarah Froelich, Kenton County District 1; Brant Owens, Campbell County District 3.
All are running unopposed, so they will skip the primary vote and be on the ballot for the general election in November.
Candidates overwhelmingly spoke of prevention strategies for issues that are already affecting the community, such as affordable housing and outdated sewage systems, by focusing on planning and development that build on what already exists.
Some advocated for infrastructure that builds on other infrastructure, such as houses surrounding parks, trails between commutes, and improvements on bus lines. Given the commissioners’ role as part of the fiscal court, others talked specifically about assuring financial decisions are transparent and aligned.
Zoning and land use
Candidates had different ideas about how land use should be decided in fiscal court.
Bach’s campaign largely focuses on land use; he said zoning is what everything eventually trickles down to. He said in planning, you have to be intentional about where you set houses, then build around people’s lives in that way.
“You can build transportation,” Bach said. “If you have an increase in transportation, you have better workforce development. You can get the people to go to the jobs where they need to go. Everything starts having a virtuous cycle, instead of a negative cycle.”
Baldridge comes from a technical background, and also said zoning needs to be more transparent to people’s needs. That comes down to when and how information is broken down — and he suggested the county could create short videos to break down proposals to help people understand the process of land use decisions.
“You could try to go to every meeting, and you can try to speak up at every single one, but you don't really have a voice,” Baldridge said.
Others focused on people-oriented infrastructure and construction plans.
Nguyen said repurposing what already exists in the county, such as abandoned buildings, should be the priority.
“If we’re going to build something new we have to be intentional,” she said.
Owens also spoke about growth, and commented on the region’s focus on building more.
“When growth becomes the method you use to measure success, you blow past conservation,” Owens said. “I’m not anti-growth, I’m not pro-growth. [But] is what’s in front of me making life better?”
Froelich brought up the Brent Spence Bridge Companion project. She said, as a Park Hills resident, she feels there was little thought about connecting green spaces amid the large-scale impact of the project.
“Having bike space, having pedestrian accessibility, but that hasn’t been built into the Brent Spence [Companion] Bridge project and I think there’s room for it,” Froelich said, mentioning that she is currently in talks with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Froelich had an overall focus on infrastructure — saying it is key to balancing growth with conservancy. She campaigns for bus lines, bike and walking trails that connect housing and work spaces.
On regional collaboration for environmental protection
When it comes to the environment, county lines can be irrelevant. Candidates had different perspectives on how to improve regional collaboration to tackle these issues.
Owens said that with the rise of regional entities, there is a concern of them bypassing zoning regulations in specific counties.
“We need to build in safeguards and checks and balances so people know that ‘yes, we are being listened to and we can trust, to a certain extent, they're doing the work they say they're doing,’” Owens said.
Many candidates also discussed the importance of prevention — investing in strategies now that will save money and mitigate environmental challenges in the future.
For Waller, economic growth comes down to conservancy. She said for businesses to grow, you need skilled workers, and for that you need a good education system and a healthy environment.
“All of that builds on each other and having poisoned water supply or unsafe plumbing, unsafe sewage treatment, or all of these different issues that seem to be different, but they meld together,” Waller said. “They are part of the point of success.”
The primary election is May 19, and the general election is Nov. 3.
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