A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Candidates: Waugaman, Villa Hills; Crabtree, Kenton schools; Pile, Boone schools; Meyer, Erlanger


Gary Waugaman, Villa Hills Council

My name is Gary Waugaman, and I am running for Villa Hills Council. My wife Mary Kay, two children, and I have lived in Villa Hills for 29 years. I am a business owner and a member of St. Joseph Parish.

I served in several capacities before being on Council. I was on the Board of Adjustments 3 years 10 months, Administration Committee 3 years 10 months, Finance Committee 4 years, and Civil Service Commission 3 years 6 months.

I am now serving as Mayor Pro Tem 2 terms, Councilman 2 terms, Administration Committee a total of 7 years 10 months, Finance Committee Chairman 8 years, Parks and Recreation Committee 4 years, Public Works 4 years, and 1 year as Vice President of Planning Development Services after serving on PDS Council for 2 years. I also attend the Mayors Group Meetings. I have not missed a single Council meeting, Caucus Meeting, Special Meeting, Finance Meeting, or PDS Council Meeting.

I have kept and will continue to keep the promises I made four years ago of transparency, fiscal responsibility, to fix roads and reorganization of the Police Department. I also told people that I would help them in any way I could base on the merit of their issue. I also stated that my personal views or feelings would not be a factor in my decisions.

I was the lead on developing the road tax to improve our roads, which was passed by 60% of the voters that voted. By the end of this fiscal year, we will have spent 4.1 million dollars on our roads, the most ever spent.

I saved the city money from buying software for Public Works to track time, jobs, and work orders by developing software for these tasks. As you can I am very active in the city and outside the city on different boards, committees, and councils, which benefits the city.

I just want to say that I am here for all of Villa Hills. I will always do what is best for Villa Hills and the residents. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a fact-based person. Anyone who says any different does not know me very well. Some people say that myself and other Council members do not listen to the citizens of our city. Well, that simply is not true. Just because we can’t do what you want does not mean we are not listening to you. We have rules, regulations, and laws to follow. Sitting in that seat at Council does not give you the right to do whatever you want.

A last couple of thoughts: (1) Remember where we were four years ago? (2) Where were these people four years ago that want to flip this Council and Mayor?

Thank you for letting me serve you for the past four years, and thank you in advance for your support and vote on November 6.

Joshua Crabtree, Kenton County School Board

My name is Joshua Crabtree and I am running for re-election to the Kenton County School Board. Having served in that role for the last four years, I am eager to continue our work providing Kenton County’s children with a world-class education.
 
As a Ft. Wright Elementary parent, I value the high-quality education my child receives. As an educational advocate, I am vested in ensuring all Kenton County children are prepared for a bright future. As a homeowner, I appreciate our lower property tax burden and ability to attract new businesses and residents to our district.

 

I am proud of our success over the last 4 years. As a School Board we maintained the lowest tax burden of all of the districts in Northern Kentucky, made all of our schools safer, moved to all-day kindergarten without raising taxes, and became both a ‘distinguished school district’ & ‘district of distinction’.  I am proud of my record, hard work, and the perspective that I bring to the Kenton County Board of Education.

In addition to 4 years of proven leadership on the board, I am asking for your vote for my re-election because I bring the right PERSPECTIVE to the board. For my day job, I am a lawyer and serve as the Executive Director of Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (headquartered in Covington, Kentucky and covering 33 counties with offices in Ashland, Morehead, Frankfort & Lexington). 

I am immersed in the issues facing Kenton Co., our region and our Commonwealth and am fighting daily against those issues that negatively impact our kids and schools like the heroin/opioid epidemic, poverty, food scarcity, and homelessness to name a few.  I am well informed, thoughtful and persuasive; I care deeply about the importance of public education & always try to do what is right for our kids. In addition to my legal knowledge, including my expertise in education law, it is my perspective as a parent, advocate, and as someone who runs a business that truly makes me the best candidate.

I am not a rubber stamp; I believe that voters have elected me to help the Kenton County Schools become one of the best districts in the world. This cannot be done without actively engaging with district leadership about what we are doing well, what works, and what we can do better. I ask questions, sometimes many questions, until every idea is thoroughly vetted. I challenge old ways of doing things so that we can continue to grow into a world-class district for ALL OUR KIDS.

On November 6th, I am asking for your vote so that we can keep the momentum going and provide ALL OUR KIDS and OUR COUNTY a world-class education.

Julie Pile, Boone County School Board, District 4
 
I am running for the Boone County School Board, District #4 because I believe the best is yet to come for Boone County Schools. We are a rapidly growing school district not only in population but also in diversity. It is only with all of us working together, the schools, families, and communities can we make our schools be the best that they can be. I thrive on building relationships, bringing resources and people together and finding solutions to challenges which often are completely outside the box. 

I have a business background working for Marathon Pipeline in the 90’s and a law firm administrator in the 2000’s. In between, I worked in the community college system in Ohio. I was the youngest fiscal officer in the Ohio Community College system where I served as Treasurer and Dean of Financial Services of Terra Community College.  I am fiscally conservative, working at the community college in a time of an economic downturn and reducing state support. We had to become creative in generating new income flows and unfortunately, sometimes make difficult decisions to cut programs. We had to be smart and efficient with our limited resources.

I have been married to my husband John for 17 years and have a daughter, Sophia, who is a Freshman at Boone County High School and a son, Joseph, who is in 7th grade at Camp Ernst Middle School.

In 2012, I attended the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) and it was a game changer in my role as an education advocate. In 2017, I was selected by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence for my ongoing and tireless work in the family and community engagement arena by receiving the inaugural Beverly Nickels Raimondo Parent Leadership Award, named in honor of the founder of CIPL. I was honored in both the House and Senate Chambers of the Kentucky Legislatures with citations for my work in community engagement not only in Boone County but across our Commonwealth and nation.

In 2016, along with educators and other parents from across the United States, I started the non-profit ParentCamp, Inc.  ParentCamp brings parents, guardians, mentors, grandparents, teachers, administration, staff, and community members together in facilitated conversations to encourage all parties have a voice and learn from each other.  ParentCamp is a partner with the United States Department of Education where six parent camps have been held over the past three years.  ParentCamps have also been held in numerous states across the country and most recently, a spin-off GrandParentCamp has taken place in Grant County.

I am a board member of the Rotary Club of Florence, Kentucky. The motto of Rotary which I truly believe in is “service above self”.  Serving on the Boone County School Board would be an honor which I would embrace deeply just as I have for the past 8 years in the countless hours I have volunteered and invested in our students and schools. 

Occupation:  Small Business Owner, Family & Community Engagement Facilitator through non-profit ParentCamp, Inc.
 Campaign Phone: (859) 488-1548 
Web Site:  http://www.stingermediallc.com/ pile4booneed 
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pile4booneed 
Email:  julie@parentcamp.org 
Hashtag:  #Pile4BooneEd

Gary Meyer, Erlanger City Council

Erlanger is home. I grew up in the Cherry Hill Subdivision running through the neighborhood with friends. Exploring the creek up and down Erlanger road. After marrying my wife Katie we moved around a bit before finally settling down in Erlanger where we live with our 5 children. My family attends St. Henry Church where my father and grandparents attended.

Gary Meyer

I have a strong desire to help and serve. I previously served one term on Erlanger’s City Council during 2015 and 2016. I currently serve as the president of the St. Henry St. Vincent de Paul conference serving those in the immediate vicinity of St. Henry. I also previously served on the advisory board of Covington Catholic Charities where I was a member of the finance committee for three years.

I have a natural curiosity which drives me in my profession in the technology and analytics industry. This results in asking a great number of questions on why things are done and how they operate. I bring this same thought process to local government. To some, this is seen as stepping on toes or trampling on those that have come before me, but I look at it as seeking first to understand so that I can be a good steward of my neighbor’s resources. I believe that there should be more transparency within city government. I will continue to ask questions to provide the appropriate level of scrutiny to any issues before council. Differing viewpoints are needed to arrive at the best solution.

I support the immediate end to the 3% tax on utility bills. There is no need to phase this out as it was intended for 911 service which the city no longer provides. All property owners now pay a fee to the county for 911 services.

I would also push for and support accelerated sidewalk repairs across the entire city. There are a significant number of sidewalks in need of repair including some main corridors such as Stevenson Road and Commonwealth Avenue. I realize there is potential road work coming, but we should not ignore these walkways for something that “might” happen. These two roads are state-controlled and there is no shortage news around the budget challenges at the state level.

I seek your support to represent you on Erlanger’s City Council. Please vote for #7 on the ballot.


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2 Comments

  1. Jeff Lowe says:

    We need Gary Meyer back on the Erlanger Council! I’m grateful for the same-ol-same-ol current members, but it’s time to take a fresh look at the possibilities in our community. Yeah, Gary can rub some of the Old Guard wrong, but his practical and positive change attitude is just what Erlanger needs. We pay relatively high taxes in Erlanger, and its time the dough is applied to something other than out-sized emergency response systems and hand-holding staffing for the first responders. Crescent Springs thought “new” and grew, so let’s elect Gary and get on the same wave.

  2. Immediate stop to the 3% tax/fee on Duke Energy bills for 911 fee.. Kenton County(2018) assesses property owners $75.00 for 911 Dispatch. Robbing Peter to pay Paul: 3% here and 6% there leaves Peter with not much of anything left to spare. Crescent Springs and Erlanger Duke Energy bills are assessed a 3% franchise fee for the total amount of Duke Energy bills for the 911 dispatch fee. Duke is requesting an additional rate hike for natural gas for 2019.

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