Voters reshape Bardstown council; McCoy wins in 50th District landslide
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, 10 p.m. — After two years of growing concern about the leadership in Bardstown City Hall, voters went to the polls and overwhelming selected a new city council rich in proven leadership and experience to help guide the city forward.
Former Bardstown mayors Dick Heaton and Bill Sheckles were among the top vote-getters (14.68 and 10.36 percent respectively). Incumbent Roland “Coach Roe” Williams won his bid for another term, receiving 10.16 percent of the vote.
John Kelley Jr. — who served as city attorney before he was elected county attorney — earned the fourth-highest number of votes (10.14 percent). Kelley was followed in the voting by incumbent Councilwoman Kecia Copeland (9.74 percent) and former councilman Joe Buckman (9.41 percent).
Voters apparently rejected Councilman Bill Buckman’s bid for a second term. He came in 13th out of the 16 candidates in the number of votes received. Longtime councilman Francis Lydian also lost his re-election bid, coming in eighth out of the 16 candidates in the number of votes received.
In early voting, candidate David Dones — who campaigned as part of a slate of candidates that included Heaton, Kelley and Joe Buckman — had enough votes for the sixth seat on the council; however by the end of the night, Buckman moved ahead of Dones in the vote, finishing 386 votes ahead and securing the sixth council seat.
VOTER TURNOUT. In Nelson County, 21,022 voters out of 33,025 of those registered went to the polls Tuesday for 63.65 percent voter turnout.
Voter turnout in Nelson County was higher than the state average of 58.9 percent. Nelson County’s voter turnout was also higher than turnout in Bullitt (62.84%), LaRue (61.85%), Hardin (54.6%) and Marion (62.65%), but less than in Washington County (66 percent).
50TH DISTRICT STATE REP. Republican Chad McCoy won in a landslide victory over Democrat James DeWeese in the race for the state house seat in Nelson County’s 50th district.
McCoy received 63.63 percent of the vote and won every Nelson County precinct but two — B102 and E105, both located east of Bardstown.
BOARDS OF EDUCATION. Despite earning nearly 30 percent of the votes cast, Donna Molyneaux came up 365 votes short in her bid for one of the two seats Bardstown City Schools board of education seats that were on Tuesday’s ballot. Incumbents Franklin Hibbs III and Andy Stone will return for another term on the school board.
On the Nelson County board of education, incumbent board members Damon Jackey (5th District) and Diane Berry (2nd District) faced no opposition and will return to the board. They will be joined by newcomer Rebekah McGuire Dye who will replace Larry Pate as the board representative from the county’s 3rd District.
U.S. SENATE. Sen. Rand Paul carried Nelson County, earning 57.08 percent of the vote over his Democratic opponent, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. Statewide, Paul won 57.31 percent of the vote.
Gray won six of the 24 precincts in Nelson County — C102, E105, E102, A103, C104, B102 — all of which are centered in the heavily Democratic areas in and around the City of Bardstown.
NEW HAVEN COMMISSIONER. Former New Haven Mayor Tessie Cecil led the vote totals in her bid for one of the four seats on the New Haven city commission with 26.65 percent of the vote. She will be joined by Mike Morris (23.94% of the vote), Joseph Larry Mattingly (18.85%), and Jane Masse (18.09%).
FAIRFIELD, BLOOMFIELD. Voters elected the five candidates who had filed for the six seats on the Bloomfield City Council, which included James C. Glisson, Laura Barnett, Lynn Suzanne Marks, Denny Howard and Anne Martin. A sixth council member will be appointed to fill the vacant seat.
Voters in Fairfield voted for the three candidates who filed for the four seats on the city commission — Shirley A. Mattingly, Katy Buckman and Paul Kiener. A fourth commissioner will be appointed to fill the vacant seat.
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