Three candidates have filed to run for the City Commissioner seat on the ballot in the special election this November, with the winner serving a 1-year term.
A Commissioner seat was left vacant following the death of Larry Maglinger. Last month, Sharon NeSmith was appointed to serve as interim until a special election could be held.
NeSmith is running in hopes of preserving her seat, and she’ll face off against Jerry Ray Davis and Titus Willis.
The commissioner race is the only local one on the ballot, though the special election will take place on November 7 alongside the general election that most notably features the gubernatorial race.
Sharon NeSmith
NeSmith was appointed to the position in May following an interview with 27 other applicants. Since being appointed, she has served just over 3 weeks in the seat.
She said she still aims to “change the world,” starting with Owensboro, and was surprised to see only three candidates including herself compared to the number who sought the interim position.
“There was a lot of very great people with great skill sets that they could bring to that position and in all different backgrounds. So I was really expecting it to be a much larger interest group,” NeSmith said.
Nonetheless, she said that she hopes that voters will see the work she will put in as an interim before casting their votes in November. NeSmith said she feels comfortable taking on another year as commissioner and hopes to work on the transparency of the Commission as much as she can.
She said she also wants to work on transportation services and ensure that it can reach all residents.
“I know transportation is a very long-term project, but (we need to focus on) getting that improved so that our younger citizens have a chance to get out there and find jobs and go to jobs so that they are not location limited,” she said.
Titus Willis
Willis said he is a data-driven guy hoping to help find ways to improve the community.
Through his involvement on the City’s Citizen Advisory Committee for Community Development, Willis said that he has learned about the different needs in the community — specifically areas such as roads.
“A lot of the roads here inside of Owensboro, Kentucky, can use immediate care, and I would most definitely push for infrastructure all the way. Even if you look at real estate, it’d be challenging to do that as City Commissioner, but I believe that it’s definitely most necessary,” Willis said.
Willis, who sought the interim appointment, noted that he wanted the seat to show his love for the city of Owensboro. As a born-and-raised Owensboro resident, he said there are ways for it to grow in his eyes.
He noted committees could connect more and allow for more transparency between the different parties in the community. Another passion of his is listening to the younger citizens as he hopes to bring the community together.
He said the 1-year term is a short amount of time but still long enough to continue the current plans and help introduce new ones.
“I’m here to help build what’s already happening. We need to collaborate and get that done not just for the public but also for the commissioners, as well. We all got to work together,” he said.
Jerry Ray Davis
Davis, who also sought the interim appointment, said he’s running because he brings a different vision for the city.
After being in Owensboro for 3 years, he said he’s become invested in the community and provides the view of someone that’s home wasn’t originally Owensboro. He said he’s running this year, and regardless of what happens he also plans to run again next year when the new term cycle begins for Commissioner.
“I’m going to run again next November. Owensboro is my home, and I’ve got a lot of money invested in my home, and I’m not going anywhere,” Davis said.
His primary focus is making Owensboro attractive for businesses to locate here. To accomplish that, he feels companies have to invest in the community and change their way of thinking.
“If we continue thinking the same way that we’ve been thinking, we’re going to continue to get the same results that we’ve been looking for,” Davis said.
He considers all subsequent issues in the community — such as safety and crime — to be just “symptoms” of the problem.
And while he said that he is not a politician by nature, he plans to bring his perspective to make Owensboro a better place for everyone to live.
“I want to make Owensboro a better place to live for everyone. Not just a few of us, not just for the elite. I want to make it great for everyone. We all need to pull together and compromise,” Davis said.
