With less than two months remaining before the May 19 primaries, Christian County’s Republican Party — robust, replete and recharged — feels poised to continue its stronghold on Hopkinsville and the surrounding communities.
Such was the overall message during Saturday afternoon’s rally at the Casey Jones Distillery on Witty Lane, where guest speaker — Senator Rand Paul — downplayed his nip-and-tuck discrepancies with 47th U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s current tenure, U.S. Senate hopefuls Michael Faris and Daniel Cameron made fair pitches for Mitch McConnell’s long-coveted seat, and magistrates, city councilors and incumbent Sheriff Tyler DeArmond pleaded their cases for a chance at November’s general election ballot.
Another critical seat up for grabs in Christian County, though, is the mayoral seat of Hopkinsville — one currently held by JR Knight, and one he would like to keep, after a “great ride of three years.”
Knight admitted the city’s budget has been raised considerably since he took office, up nearly $13 million over the last 36 months to $56 million, but the extended spending hasn’t been haphazard and unwieldy.
For starters, he said the Hopkinsville Police Department is fully staffed, after being down 17 officers.
A new fire station is fully staffed, one that didn’t exist four years ago.
Hopkinsville, he added, experienced no homicides in the last 12 months, and a recent walkthrough of Kitchen Foods — a company from Australia — only brings more confidence to the city’s growing economy.
He noted more than 800 jobs are available right now, but housing continues to be a key focus under his tenure — as does cleaning up the downtown.
Currently a magistrate for Christian County, Russ Guffey brought his family along — urging they were the reason he got in the mayoral mix.
He also noted that he, Knight and another candidate, Natasha Sophia Francis, speak frequently and remain friends outside of the public’s walls.
However, he, too, has a vision for the city, and wants a chance at it.
He wants to make Hopkinsville the best place to “live, work, visit, play and stay,” but that conservative core beliefs must be adhered to and maintained in order for that to occur.
Representing Ward 1 on the Hopkinsville City Council from 2022 until 2024 before losing to Vance Smith, Francis feels ready to get back into the fold.
Whomever wins this primary will face lone Democrat Markeeta Oldham Wilkerson, plus any potential write-in candidates, this November.
MAYOR DISCUSSION:
