For the first time since 1998, Boone County will have a new Judge/Executive. Longtime judge Gary Moore lost the Republican nomination in May to county commissioner Chet Hand. Now, Hand will be on the ballot along with independent candidate Tim Johnson.
The Boone County Public Library hosted a public debate between Hand and Johnson Tuesday night, moderated by former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Johnson is retired and has lived in Boone County for more than 50 years. He points to issues with transparency as his motivation for running for office.
“My reason for running for office isn't relying on ambition, nor title or pay,” Johnson said. “I'm just trying to do the right thing as a citizen of this county. I'm discovering corruption within the government that I think needs to be addressed.”
Johnson spoke about the Boone County Central Sewer system and the Richwood Crossover project — noting he did not like how these projects are executed.
Hand is currently on the fiscal court as county commissioner and wants to lower taxes and improve infrastructure.
“That means building an administration focused on: customer service accountability, continuous improvement, making government easier to work with, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracies, and ensuring we're delivering real value for every taxpayer dollar,” Hand said.
He also touted good relationships with current elected officials, like mayors and other county commissioners.
Hand and Johnson were asked about their top three priorities if voted in:
Hand said his were:
- Fiscal court transparency
- Restructuring the Planning Commission
- Tax reform
Johnson said his were:
- Improving existing infrastructure
- Redefining eminent domain
- Repairing traffic on Highway 18
There are two additional write-in candidates for the seat: William Woods and Terry Roberts. The library said it did not invite the candidates because they will not appear on the ballot.
Balancing future development and existing community
Moderator Grayson asked the candidates a series of questions on how they would balance growth and development with different areas like infrastructure, quality of life and property rights.
Hand said he’s already made steps towards improving quality of life in Boone County as county commissioner. He said investment should serve people who have lived in the region for decades as well.
“We talk about investment,” he said. “We talk about economic development. We talk about these things we want to attract to our county, but it can’t be at the cost of what I call our early investors in our county.”
Hand believes in investing in things like entertainment districts and improving transportation for growth.
“[While] making sure that the businesses that we attract to our area are consistent with the median household income and the median house price in our area,” he said
In regards to quality of life, Johnson kept his answer short. He believes the first step to improving quality of life is improving traffic flow.
“I would like to try to eliminate some of that traffic first, and [diversify] more businesses that offer good jobs,” Johnson said. “Not just warehouses filled with robots.”
To balance property with future growth, Johnson said owners deserve a seat at the table of proposed development that involves their property.
“If the county has plans to take someone's property, I think that they need to bring that person in, let them know what's going on, so that they can prepare for what’s coming,” Johnson said.
Hand criticized the Planning Commission throughout the night. He said the board needs better guidelines for what development will be supported.
“Our comp plan is the number one way that we manage property rights versus growth and how we can save that in the future,” Hand said, referring to the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan.
In response to a question asking what is the number one thing the county needs, but may be unpopular, both candidates had different insights.
Hand believes the county does not prioritize North-South corridors.
“We have not made any major nor just active corridor changes or updates on our traffic patterns in 30 years, and yet we've had 105,000 new people,” he said.
Johnson went a different route. He said the county needs to expand waste dumps.
“If they need to expand, then let's try to find a way to make that happen, and hopefully, recycle as much as we can, or even more than we do now,” he said.
Election day is Nov. 3. For more information on how to vote in Kentucky, visit the Secretary of State’s website.
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