Republcan Russ Guffey will be Hopkinsville’s next mayor after winning 53% of the vote in a three-way race that included Democrat Markeeta Oldham Wilkerson and Indpendent Desaepa Vansauwa.
Guffey said he had two goals in his run — to listen to anyone who wanted to speak with him about Hopkinsville and to make sure he was not out-worked as a candidate.
“I can say with a 100% certainty that we accomplished both of those goals,” he said.
Guffey had 4,037 votes, while Wilkerson received 2,550 votes for 34% and Vansauwa had 984 votes for 13%.
“There will be a partnership between the mayor and the city council. I promise you that going forward,” he said.
In a speech before a large gathering of supporters at the Alhambra Theatre, Guffey spoke about how he intends to serve as mayor.
Guffey, who currently serves on the Christian Fiscal Court, defeated Mayor James R. Knight Jr. in the May primary by a much slimmer margin — just 180 votes — to advance to the general election. Knight was seeking his second term in office.
Perhaps the loudest applause of the night came in response to Guffey’s criticism of online chatter and gossip.
“If I put something out there, my name is on it,” he said. “If you put something out there, and your name is not on it, if you are hiding behind a page, if you are hiding behind a fake account, if you are hiding behind an alias … you are a coward.
He added, “That has to stop. That’s what causes division. That’s what causes all of these riffs. That’s what causes uncertainty.”
Guffey thanked family members, including his wife, Mandy, and supporters. He also thanked his opponents. He lauded anyone willing to run for office knowing they will face scrutiny.
When he takes office in January, Guffey will be working with a city council that has nine Republicans and three Democrats.
Hopkinsville City Council
Winning in the council’s five contested races were:
- Ward 1 – Charles Andrew Tatum (R), 3,798 votes; Sharon E. Manning (D), 3,558 votes
- Ward 8 – Stephen Crisp (R), 3,690 votes; Tiffany Pittman (D), 3,663
- Ward 9 – Monike Love (D), 3,771 votes; Jamie Lynn Lienberger (R), 3,549 votes
- Ward 10 – Angelita O. Atkins (D), 3,774 votes; Steve Keel (R), 3,573 votes
- Ward 11 – Jason Bell (R), 4,185 votes; Andrea Santos-Rickard (D), 3,115 votes
City council members are elected to serve a two-year term.
Christian Fiscal Court
There were two contested races for county magistrate. The winners were:
- District 3 – George Barnett (R), 1,271 votes; Faith Watkins (D), 804 votes
- District 5 – Austin Crawford (R) ,886 votes; James “Jim” Smith (D), 806 votes
Magistrates are elected to serve a four-year term.
Christian County Board of Education
There was one contested race for the Christian County Board of Education. In District 5, Whitney Holland won with 1,450 votes to Robert Webb’s 1,001 votes and Twan M. Doan’s 327 votes. School board races are nonpartisan. Members serve a four-year term.
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.
