Tuesday night’s meeting of Hopkinsville City Council was one of the more routine and brief sessions in Mayor Carter Hendricks’ five years in office, and it was his last time to preside over a council meeting.
Hendricks is leaving his elected post at the end of the month to become executive director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council. Three years remain on his second term of office.
(Photo by Jennifer P. Brown)
Although he acknowledged the council meeting was his last as mayor, Hendricks did not take time Tuesday to reflect on his tenure as mayor or offer a formal “goodbye.” A send-off party for Hendricks is planned from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at the Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex, 155 Tilley Way.
Under state law, the council has the authority to name an interim mayor, who would serve until the end of 2020. Then, in this November’s general election, a mayor will be elected to serve out the two remaining years in the term.
At the request of Councilman Phillip Brooks at Tuesday’s meeting, City Attorney Doug Willen explained the process for selecting a presiding officer for the council and how that differs from the selection of an interim mayor.
When the council meets Thursday, Jan. 23, as the Committee of the Whole, it will select a chair and vice chair for the committee and a presiding officer for the council. A presiding officer (previously known in Hopkinsville as the mayor pro tem) basically steps into the mayor’s role when he or she cannot be present to run a council meeting. But that is separate from the council’s decision to name an interim mayor, said Willen.
The council’s selection of an interim mayor – which could be a council member or any resident of the city who is qualified to run for mayor – should be made in February. If a council fails to name an interim mayor within one month of a vacancy, state law calls for the governor to make the appointment.
In other matters at Tuesday’s meeting:
- The council approved on first reading a new ward map, adding the recently annexed Windmill Farms subdivision to Ward 8. The subdivision is off Fort Campbell Boulevard just north of Interstate 24. Councilman Tom Johnson represents Ward 8.
- The council approved on second reading an ordinance to rezone a 0.91-acre parcel on West Fourth Street from R-4 (multi-family residential) to B-2 (general business).
- Conducted a pinning ceremony for three city firefighters who have been promoted in rank. They are Lt. Todd Hampton, Capt. Tommy McGraw and Battalion Chief Spencer Wood.
- The council approved an executive order naming Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman as the mayor’s designee to the James E. Bruce Convention Center Board.
- The council approved an executive order to appoint Brandi Alexander and reappoint Darrell Gustafson and Jack Shah to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Conference Center Corp. Board.
- The council approved an executive order reappointing Michael Cansler to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Planning Commission.
- The council approved an executive order naming City Administrative Officer Troy Body as the mayor’s designee to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Landbank Authority.
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.
