candidate for
As Councilwoman of Ward 6, I will work to enforce the current laws regarding liens and foreclosures on blight and dilapidated structures in a timely manner. Taxpayers should not have to pay for demolition of a property due to an owner’s willful neglect.
Since 52% of our citizens are renters, as Councilwoman of Ward 6, I will put more emphasis on homeownership by partnering with local agencies, organizations and churches to host homebuyer workshops, ensuring that residents are aware of the Hopkinsville Affordable Homeownership Program (HAHP), Hopkinsville’s Lot Next Door Program, Kentucky Housing Corporation’s (KHC) Down Payment Assistance Program, and KHC’s Family Self Sufficiency Program that will also put them on the path to becoming a homeowner. I will work to reestablish our community’s support of Habitat for Humanity, through volunteers and discounted building materials. I will also work to make sure our city is benefiting from the grant monies that are available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and KHC. I will also research the process of getting more tax credit homes and apartments built within our city.
As councilwoman of Ward 6, I will work to foster good working relationships with the government, nonprofit and business leaders by being knowledgeable of their services and products and by working diligently to encourage economic development and job growth through government incentives for all businesses, big or small. I will partner with the economic council and others in our community, who foster economic development, to make sure that we are listening and meeting the needs of our current agricultural and manufacturing industries, while seeking sustainability for future industries with high-tech in mind. I will work to improve our infrastructure, provide support to our educational systems from early childhood education through college, and collaborate with our tourism office, arts council, parks and recreation department, library and museum to improve our quality of life to make Hopkinsville an enjoyable city for our current and future residents as well as a great tourist destination within our Commonwealth.
In order to reduce gun violence and other issues such as teenage pregnancy and drug addiction in Hopkinsville, we need to put more emphasis on investing in the youth. We cannot wait until they are teens or young adults to mitigate the problem. We have to start before anger, hopelessness, and low self-esteem have a chance to be rooted in their minds. We as a city can achieve this by providing programs, continuing to support Men 2 Be, the Boys and Girls Club, the Challenge Houses, the YMCA’s outreach programs and strengthening our partnerships with our local, supportive agencies. By investing in the youth, we will show them that their lives have value and purpose, then they will have the skills, resources and exposure to make better decisions and choices.
I think the revitalization that has taken place on Fifth Street, Six Street, and at the Alhambra Theater have been great. I also think the expansion and creativity of the programs by the Pennyroyal Arts Council, Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library, Museums of Historic-Hopkinsville Christian County Program have been phenomenal. The plays put on by Campanile Productions, the Dancing with Our Stars Fundraiser, the Christian County Literacy Council’s Spelling Bee, the events celebrating the life and legacy of bell hooks, Books at the Bar at Hopkinsville Brewing Company and the comedy shows at Main Street Tavern have added more excitement to our downtown. We need to keep this momentum going in the heart of our city. As Councilwoman of Ward 6, I will be a proponent of Historic Downtown Hopkinsville’s Incentive Programs: the 50/50 Matching Grant Program, the Collateralized Loan Program and the Preservation-in-Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Program and the Downtown Renaissance District’s “Let’s Paint Downtown Hoptown” Program. I will work to continue the partnerships with our agencies, organizations and businesses to feature more food trucks and entertainment from our local bands, singers, dancers, poets, actors, actresses, comedians, artists etc. that are diverse and inclusive for families and adults. Imagine our downtown replicating Owensboro’s Fridays after 5 or Louisville’s Fourth Street Live!
Our homeless population has increased. As Councilwoman of Ward 6, I will work to support The Salvation Army’s efforts in providing adequate shelter, food and rehabilitative services for our homeless population.
