The Non-Partisan Elections Citizens Committee established by Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch will host a public forum Tuesday evening, December 14th at 5:30 at the Hopkinsville High School gymnasium. City Clerk Crissy Fletcher says the purpose of the meeting is to educate the committee and the public regarding non-partisan elections.
According to Fletcher, the Non-Partisan Elections Citizens Committee was established by the mayor in response to uncertainty within the community regarding holding non-partisan elections in the City of Hopkinsville. The Committee is tasked with a number of things including learning and educating the public in an unbiased manner and hosting public forums to allow for feedback and education on the issue.
In April 2020, Mayor Lynch vetoed a nonpartisan elections ordinance which was narrowly passed by Hopkinsville City Council members on second reading by a 6-5 vote. Phillip Brooks, former councilman Darvin Adams, Patricia Waddell-Bell, Jason Bell, and Kim McCarley voted against the ordinance. The non-partisan elections ordinance would have included a city council primary election with a ward system, with the top two candidates who get the most votes moving on to the general election.
According to Fletcher, speakers at the public forum will include Kentucky League of Cities Director of Municipal Law Morgain Patterson, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky Dr. Stephen Voss, and Political Science Professor and Department Head at Western Kentucky University Dr. Scott Lasley.
For more information, contact City Clerk Crissy Fletcher at (270) 890-0210 or via email at cfletcher@hopkinsvilleky.us.
