Mark A. Graham

Republican

candidate for

City Council,

Ward 7

Mark Graham, 52 of Bahama Drive, led the group Citizens Right To Vote On Tax Increases, which forced a voter referendum that defeated the nickel tax for Christian County Public Schools in 2019. He is seeking the council seat currently held by Terry Parker, who did not file to run again. Graham is a car salesman.

Candidate website

Which electoral system do you support for the city of Hopkinsville? Why?

I support partisan elections. To date, Hopkinsville has traditionally held partisan primaries with an overwhelming majority of those partisan primaries being for Democratic nominations with little to no representation from the Republican Party. Also, to date, we have witnessed a strong, unprecedented initial showing of Republican candidates for the 2022 local primary elections in Christian County. As one of the only candidates to attend the regular meetings held by the non-partisan election committee, I wanted to ensure people were being fairly represented and informed. As voters, we often look for common ground to identify a candidate’s core belief system – a directive mainly achieved through party affiliation. Non-Partisan elections eliminate that key indicator and creates opportunity for higher socio-economic or status members of the community to receive an unfair advantage over lesser-known individuals; regardless of belief system.

What plans do you have to address blight and dilapidated structures in the city?

As your representative for Ward 7, I want to make sure the city is conservatively appropriating funds that ensure we keep our city clean and presentable while also holding property owners accountable for the maintenance of said properties. There should be no excuse for homes falling down around the community and creating unsafe (and even unlivable) conditions for members of our community. The city should apply these same principles to city buildings and properties.

If elected, how would you help address the housing shortage?

There are a number of ideal properties within our city that can expand our housing market. Our city government will need to work with contract developers utilizing a simple and transparent process to bring affordable housing to Hopkinsville. We will need to ensure that Community and Development Services serves as a resource to assist (not hinder) the process as well.

If elected, how would you work together with government, nonprofit and business leaders to encourage economic development?

As your representative for Ward 7, I will be committed to working for my constituents in a transparent fashion to encourage economic development and job growth. I feel we should do our best to support small business development as small businesses employ nearly half of the entire work force of the US. We should be offering them the same tax breaks and assistance we offer the big box chain stores to help them be successful. As they grow, our job market and economy will also grow.

If elected, how would you prioritize the reduction of gun violence in Hopkinsville?

I feel I must first address the phrasing of this question. Guns are inanimate objects and are incapable of committing violent acts just as vehicles are inanimate and require a driver to be considered dangerous when in use. That being said, we must give high prioritization to the reduction of crime in our city. People tend to not want to relocate to a city that has high crime rates – especially violent crime. A poll that was taken, recorded two out of three people saying they don’t feel safe downtown at night. We can and have to do better. We need to ensure our police force has adequate funding for the all of the tools and the advance training they need to keep our residents safe.

If elected, how would you work to revitalize downtown Hopkinsville?

It’s no secret that there a number of buildings in disrepair in the downtown area, yet as a city, we promote a number of events downtown every year. A common issue we encounter (especially with the larger events) is the lack of parking for individuals, especially our elderly and handicapped, during these events. A possible solution for the city would be to cut some of the losses on these building endeavors and perhaps improve the downtown parking to benefit everyone.

Is there another issue not addressed in these questions that you believe is extremely important? If so, please explain it briefly.

I want the voters to know that there have been many times during the City Council meetings where I have felt that issues were not discussed on record enough. Questions the general public may have wanted to know were not asked and a roll call vote was taken without discussion. As your representative, I pledge to make sure questions you want to ask will be asked during the meeting and on record. I believe in transparency to the public — whom we are elected to serve. I would ask for your vote and allow me to represent you on May 17 as your Ward 7 city councilman.