Republican Jamie Lienberger was scheduled to face Ardell Owens — her Ward 9 primary election opponent for city council — in a Hopkinsville League of Women Voters forum on Tuesday. However, Owens did not attend and the League instead let Lienberger give brief remarks about her campaign.
“I moved to Hopkinsville three years ago looking for a nice place to be with my family and to possibly retire in,” Lienberger said. “I’m fiscally conservative. I run a transparent campaign. Anything you want to know about me, I’m willing to let you know.
Lienberberger said she sees the city “spending money left and right. … Cities like Hopkinsville need to be on the lookout to save money for a time when the drought comes, whether that’s a financial drought or when money isn’t as frequent as it should be.
“So as a candidate for Ward 9, I would just like to let people know that I would spend the city’s money wisely — not always spending the money but saving the money.”
She also commented on amenities and quality of life in Hopkinsville.
“I also would like to see the city get out of the business of running things that they are just not prepared to do. The Tie Breaker [Family Aquatic Center] … when I moved into town, I thought, wow, this would be a great thing but it was closed. And then I thought, well maybe this year it would be open, but no, it is closed for repairs. And I just think there are certain things that the city shouldn’t be involved in. The city should be a city. And growth can’t be marketed. You can’t market for growth. Growth happens and then you market.
“There need to be things for children, for families to do that are economical, that are fun. I think it’s great to have a boulevard full of eateries but there needs to be physical activities for our children, for our families.”
Lienberger, 54, said she does consulting work in the sanitary sewer industry.
- WARD 12: Republican candidate outlines positions
- WARD 5: Candidates Craig and Norris address city issues
At the conclusion of her remarks, Lienberger said voters citywide may vote for her in the May 17 primary. That’s not correct. In the May primaries, Hopkinsville voters cast ballots only for candidates in their ward and in their political party for city council. Citywide voting for the council doesn’t occur until the November general election.
The winner in the Ward 9 Republican primary will face incumbent Democrat Patricia Waddell-Bell.
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.
