KENTON
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 — JANUARY 19, 2024
THE VOICE OF NKY
linknky.com
Why are there so many uncontested races in NKY? By Noah Jones
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ave Meyer spent the last five months recruiting candidates for Kentucky’s state and senate races. The vice president of the Kenton Democrats said the result was not exactly what he was looking for. “I called about 100 people to ask if they were interested (in running for office); about 90% to 95% said they were flattered and honored,” Meyer said. The next day, he said, they called him back and told him they wanted to stay involved, but not this year. Civic participation in this primary election in the political elections was “good, but not great,” he told LINK nky. As of the Jan. 5 filing deadline to run for office in Kentucky, 40% of House and state candidates are running unopposed. In Northern Kentucky as a whole, there are several local uncontested primary races: Uncontested race in Boone County: • County Circuit Court Clerk: David Continues on page 3
A voter casts her ballot at the Hebron firehouse on Election Day in November 2023. Photo by Joe Simon | LINK nky contributor
‘Where are they supposed to go?’ By Nathan Granger
er man,” though he’s not actually ordained.
ean Raney, Jess Sissom and Joe McGee sat in the McDonald’s on Winston Avenue in Latonia in October. Sissom said he likes this McDonald’s in particular because it’s one of the few places in town where they don’t get harassed.
He spends many of his mornings outside distributing supplies to Covington’s homeless population: blankets, food, tents and other basic supplies. Often, he said, he pays for these materials out of his own pocket.
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“Everything’s more complicated when you’re homeless,” McGee said. Sissom and Raney are both unhoused. McGee is not unhoused. He’s a retired nurse and attorney. Driven by a deep sense of what he describes as a Christian mission to help others, he spends many of his days with the region’s homeless population, helping out as he can. An abandoned homeless encampment in Covington. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky
He said people refer to him as “this preach-
People who lack any kind of permanent housing — people like Raney and Sissom — are hunkering down for the winter. They are but two of a population of people who exist in the hidden-away places parallel to the rest of society. Raney and Sissom share an encampment hidden away in Covington. A makeshift firepit sits in the center, with two tents and a plastic table nearby. Exact numbers are difficult to pin down, but there are data sources that shed some light on the size of the homeless populaContinues on page 6
Here’s who is running for office in NKY p4 Who clears the roads when it snows? p9 Meet your legislator: Damon Thayer p19