Patsy Mayfield was the first female to be elected as the mayor of the City of Whitesville in November. Since taking office in January, Mayfield has not only held onto the spirit of past traditions, but she’s spearheaded new events and traditions in Whitesville as well.
Mayfield, with 20 years of government experience as a city commissioner before being elected mayor, has played a large role in the city’s annual Independence Day fireworks show for years. During election season, Mayfield told Owensboro Times that the event was very important to the community and a great way to bring everyone together.
Aside from the fireworks show, Mayfield has worked to bring more entertainment venues to her city since being elected.
“When I took over the previous mayor’s job, I had a plan to add more events,” she said. “Everyone’s been really happy with that.”
Whitesville’s first annual tractor show was held in May, and Mayfield said the turnout from the local community was great.
“All of the money earned from the tractor show went toward the Whitesville City Park,” she said.
Even more, Mayfield said Whitesville will be holding its first Cruise-In Car Show in October — something she believes the residents of Whitesville would enjoy as much as out-of-towners. The money earned from the car show will likely go toward a Whitesville project, though Mayfield said those details would be finalized at a later date.
Not only do these events provide more entertainment for the community, they put revenue back into the local economy, Mayfield said.
Mayfield has also been working on a major sewer project for the City of Whitesville. The current sewer plant was built in 1984, she said, and has started exposing some mechanical issues. Mayfield is applying for a sewer grant through Green River Area Development District (GRADD), she said.
This grant isn’t to replace the sewer system entirely, but to modify the one Whitesville currently has. In applying for the grant, Mayfield said she wants to “stay ahead of the game” before things get worse.
“We went up to Frankfort a couple of weeks ago to advocate for this grant,” she said. “We had a public hearing about the sewer grant at Whitesville City Hall, and City Hall was completely full. We’ve received a lot of support for this, and that makes me happy. We just need to get that sewer system fixed.”
While Mayfield said the job of mayor has certainly been different than that of a city commissioner, the support she’s received from her community has been a blessing.
“Everyone tells me they like what I’ve been doing. We’ve gotten calls up at City Hall from people thanking me for doing a good job, and that makes me feel really good.”
