Seven of the seats on Hopkinsville City Council will be contested in the May primary election. The remaining five will go uncontested — each drawing just one Republican hopeful when the deadline passed Friday afternoon for candidates to file papers at the Christian County Clerk’s Office.
The council races attracted six additional candidates in the two days before the deadline.
Four races will be contested in the November when the successful Republican and Democrats advance from their respective primaries to the general election.
Republicans heavily outnumber Democrats running for a council seat — comprising 19 of the 27 individuals who filed to run. There are seven Democrats and one independent vying for city council.
The current salary paid to council members is $13,858 annually, said Chief Financial Officer Melissa Clayton.
Council members are elected to two-year terms. There are typically three council meetings a month, and members are appointed to local boards and commissions with additional meetings to attend. Council members log more hours reading materials and gathering information before meetings, responding to queries from citizens and attending community functions.
Hopkinsville is among a small number of Kentucky communities where city elections are still partisan, meaning candidates run on their party affiliation. In the May primaries, Hopkinsville voters cast ballots only within their geographic ward and only for candidates of their political party. But in the November general election, all city voters cast ballots in all 12 wards.
Here are the candidates. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk.
Ward 1
- Markeeta Wilkerson, D, 1721 Clarence Drive
- Natasha Sophia Francis*, R, 1811 E. Seventh St.
- Vance Smith, R, 168 Lewis St.
Ward 2
- Brandi Stallons, R, Talbert Drive (Incumbent is Bruce Smiley did not file for reelection.)
Ward 3
- Donald Marsh*, R, 902 Sanderson Drive
Ward 4
- Charles E. Crabtree III*, R, 22 Harton Place
- Faye Hendricks, R, 314 Deepwood Drive
Ward 5
- Amy Craig*, R, 1308 Morris Circle
- Shannon Trogden, R, 213 Lewis Bridge Way
Ward 6
- Travis W. Martin*, R, 3651 Steeplechase Lane
Ward 7
- Retired Hopkinsville police chief Louis Clayton Sumner, R, 203 Remington Road; (Incumbent Doug Wilcox is not seeking reelection)
- Mark A. Graham, R, 3500 Bahama Drive
Ward 8
- Seth Adam Meek, R, 407 Yorkshire Way (son of incumbent Robert Terry Meek, who is not seeking reelection)
Ward 9
- Brittanie M. Bogard, R, 1001 Central Ave.
- Duane Shepard, independent, 719 Hope St.
- Angelique M. Victor, D, 1000 Central Ave.
- Jamie Lynn Lienberger*, R, 305 E. 23rd St.
- Monike Love, D, 2308 S. Virginia St.
- Ardell Glenn Owens, D, 1524 Bussell St.
Ward 10
- Steve Keel*, R, 2414 S. Main St.
- Michael A. Velez Sr., R, 131 N. Sunset Circle
- Angelita Atkins, D, 2609 S. Virginia St.
- Andra Gold, D, 385 Irish Circle
Ward 11
- Jason Bell*, R, 710 Rose Drive
Ward 12
- Matthew Handy*, R, 1930 High St.
- Elizabeth Draude, R, 2107 S. Main St.
- Samual C. Goodman, D, 403 Roosevelt Ave.
The primary election is May 21. The Christian County Board of Elections will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, to draw ballot positions for candidates.
(This story was updated to reflect additional candidates as the deadline for filing passed Friday, Jan. 5.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
