Election 2014: Sheckles, Royalty square-off in televised mayoral debate
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, 11:55 a.m. — The candidates for mayor of Bardstown squared off Wednesday night in a debate sponsored by The Kentucky Standard and PLG-TV.
Incumbent Bardstown Mayor Bill Sheckles responds to a question during the televised debate Wednesday night sponsored by The Kentucky Standard and PLG-TV.
The debates at the Nelson County Civic Center were televised live and open to the public. Candidates were questioned by a panel of journalists that included Matthew Fogle of PLG, Kentucky Standard Editor Forrest Berkshire, and reporter Randy Patrick.
Bardstown Mayor Bill Sheckles pointed to his record of working to solve problems, meeting unexpected challenges and keeping the city moving forward as reasons to return him to office. Sheckles is seeking a second term as mayor.
“I’m here tonight to apply for the job of mayor of the City of Bardstown,” Royalty said in his opening statement. “The mayor is the eyes, ears and the voice for the residents of the community along with the city council, its not just the mayor.”
Royalty promised to be a full-time mayor who would work in a partnership with the new city council, and he would continue to focus on updating the city’s infrastructure and improving the quality of life in Bardstown.
“I will be in that captain’s chair from daylight until dark if necessary,” he said. He promised the public would have access to city hall and his office.
MANAGEMENT STYLE. In a question regarding the council’s unhappiness with the mayor’s management style, Sheckles said it the complaints were largely due to the fact its an election year.
“I’ve worked with the council, kept them well-informed,” he said, adding that the council members only need to call him or email him to discuss any issues that arise. He challenged the council to cite an issue that hasn’t been addressed or is being addressed.
“All of the decisions that have been made to move this city forward have been with the cooperation of the city council,” he said.
Royalty said as a councilman, he and his council colleagues “felt like mushrooms, we were kept in the dark.”
Royalty cited an instance where a fire chief was hired and the council had no knowledge of it. “We learned more from The Kentucky Standard and The Nelson County Gazette than we did from our own mayor.”
Councilman John Royalty responds to a question at Wednesday night’s debate.
He also chided Sheckles for restricting public input at council meetings.
In his response, Sheckles said as mayor, he is in charge of running the council meetings, and that he has never prevented someone from speaking before the city council. On the fire chief issue, Sheckles said Royalty was not on the council at that time and called him “misinformed.” No fire chief was hired and would not be hired without the council’s approval.
GAY RIGHTS. In a question about expanding the city-county human rights ordinance to also protect lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender individuals, Royalty said he did not support providing special rights to a specific group of individuals.
Sheckles said the proposed changes to protect the LGBT community had language that referred to “perceived discrimination” which he said was vague and subject to interpretation.
In a rebuttal period, Royalty asked Sheckles if he had gone to Louisville to participate in Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher’s joining Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, a project sponsored by the gay marriage group Freedom to Marry.
Sheckles was the first Kentucky mayor to join Mayors for the Freedom to Marry; Fischer was the second mayor and the first mayor of a large Kentucky city to join.
Sheckles said he did not go to Louisville, noting that Royalty “is mistaken again.”
A June 20, 2014 story published by the Courier-Journal noted that Fischer joined the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry project while attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Dallas. According to the group’s website, Fischer was the only Kentucky mayor who registered to attend the conference.
GANG VIOLENCE. Sheckles said gang activity and the murder of Officer Jason Ellis happened in the same time frame and shocked the community. Sheckles said as mayor he doesn’t tolerate gang activity. “Those issues were taken care of, those issues have been addressed,” he said. “You haven’t heard much out of the (Bardstown) Money Gang in the last year or so.”
Royalty said gang activity isn’t gone. “You can’t turn a blind eye to it and say we don’t have a problem,” he said. “That’s like saying ‘Nelson County doesn’t have a drug problem.’ That’s ridiculous. It happened on his watch and its going to happen again.”
Sheckles denied that he was downplaying or ignoring issues like gang violence. “When they come up, we deal with them.”
ETHICS & NEPOTISM. In response to a question regarding the city ethics ordinance, Royalty said he thought it would be worthwhile to review the ordinance, adding that it was his understanding that Sheckles had hired several family members that did not violate the existing nepotism statute.
“I don’t think you should hire family members,” he said, noting that as mayor, he would not hire family.
Sheckles did not address Royalty’s claim, stating only that the existing ethics ordinance is sufficient and praising the ethics board members.
CITY-COUNTY E-911, RECREATION AGREEMENTS. Sheckles defended the council’s decision to cancel the city’s agreements with county government regarding funding of the E-911 Dispatch Board and joint city-county recreation program.
The move comes as the council examines ways to fund the city’s general fund, which pays for services that do not produce revenue, which includes police and fire protection, street repairs, etc. City residents pay county taxes too, which means city residents are paying twice for 911 and recreation, he said. By addressing the funding inequity, the council can fund the general fund without raising taxes or creating an insurance tax, Sheckles said.
Profits from the city-owned utilities have historically helped fund the general fund, he said. As costs rise, the city must look at alternative ways of funding the general fund.
Royalty agreed with Sheckles, stating that the agreements should have been canceled years earlier. He called for responsible government to control expenses. “The answer is not more taxes, the answer is controlling spending,” he said.
DOWNTOWN VS. THE REST OF TOWN. In response to a question about addressing neighborhood needs outside downtown, Sheckles cited the city’s careful regulation of downtown and signs as having helped protect downtown and helped make it a tourism destination.
Royalty said some city neighborhoods have been neglected by city government while millions of dollars were spent on the Streetscape project downtown.
“Maple Hill has more than 20 businesses and the post office, and they can’t get street lights,” Royalty said. “US 62 West is a gateway into the city of Bardstown and they don’t even have a ‘Welcome to Bardstown’ sign out there.”
The Henrytown neighborhood was another example of unkept promises, he said. “Henrytown has been promised sidewalks for 20, 30 years. Some places have them, some don’t, and you see people having to walk their kids in the street.”
Royalty said he would work to get grants to help neighborhoods with infrastructure issues.
CURBSIDE RECYCLING. Royalty said he supports curbside recycling, though he added that it also comes with a cost. The move of city recycling to the Guthrie Opportunity Center has made recycling more difficult, he said. Royalty said public hearings would help determine if Bardstown residents are willing to fund curbside recycling.
Sheckles said the existing recycling program helps the Guthrie Opportunity Center and Nelson County Industries programs, and the move to the Guthrie center has improved the process and as a result, more people are recycling.
Sheckles agreed that the cost of curbside recycling is the reason it hasn’t happened yet in Bardstown. The city’s existing recycling program allows sufficient opportunities for those who wish to recycle.
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