Kentucky's 2022 General Election
Franklin County, Kentucky
Candidates for Frankfort City Commissioners vie for a seat on the Commission in a nonpartisan race. Thus, they do not declare which political party with which they are registered, Democrat or Republican.
Candidate Kelly May is seeking re-election to one of the 4 open seats on the Board of Commissioners. Click here for more information about May's background and campaign issues. Click this link for more information about the role of the Board of Commissioners and other candidates.
Together Frankfort sent questionnaires to all candidates for Frankfort City Commission. Voters can select up to four (4) of the six (6) candidates on the ballot. Of the city commission candidates on the ballot, Candidates Dawn Hale, Kelly May (i), Kyle Thompson, and Katrisha Waldridge (i) responded. Candidates J.C. Karsner and Leesa Unger (i) did not.
*(i) indicates an incumbent candidate, i.e. someone who already holds the office and is running for re-election.
What Did Candidate Kelly May Tell Us?
How did the candidates reply to the questions? Together Frankfort asked questions concerning the six (6) issue areas below:
1. Quality of life (including both economic and environmental issues, planning & zoning, and Tax Increment Financing)
2. Voting
3. Gun Violence
4. Campaign Contributions
5. Healthcare and
6. Housing
Questions from Together Frankfort are in purple text; candidates' response are in black.
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Together Frankfort: Quality of Life for All Citizens
Together Frankfort: What proposals would you make to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Frankfort and Franklin County? What proposals would you make to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Frankfort and Franklin County?
Candidate Kelly May: I would continue to support the city's projects that center around public transportation and pedestrian traffic. For example, we were able to secure grant funding for design work for public infrastructure upgrades along Holmes Street; sidewalks and many other improvements being a part of that plan.
We were able to purchase several new bus shelters to provide shelter from the elements for those waiting on the bus. I truly believe that connecting our neighborhoods to our business and commercial districts by way of pedestrian friendly infrastructure is vital to our community's quality of life.
Together Frankfort: Describe your vision for sustainable economic growth in Franklin County.
Candidate Kelly May: I believe we should have a systematic approach to tackling the discussion of economic growth in Franklin County.
1.) We need to identify all available property zoned for development, what amenities / utilities it offers and catalog that information digitally so that it is accessible to all interested parties.
2.) Using data collected from recent community studies (i.e. comp plan/downtown master plan) identify what sites are best suited for those projects.
3.) We must then do the research to identify what industries or business would thrive in our community and reach out to them with properties that would suit their needs.
4.) Once we have recruited the businesses to our community, we should continue to follow up with them to talk about their future needs so that we can plan for the future. It's imperative we do this with our existing business partners also.
Together Frankfort: What could our community do to address climate change?
Candidate Kelly May: I'm happy to say that the city passed a resolution to reach 100% clean energy for city operations by 2023 and community wide by 2030. We have partnered with NREL (National Renewable Energy Lab) to help us reach these goals. We also provided additional funding at my request and unanimous support of the BOC to address energy equity in our studies so that we can reduce the energy burden on lower income communities.
Together Frankfort: What are your priorities for Planning and Zoning?
Candidate Kelly May:
Together Frankfort: In what circumstances would you support using Tax Increment Financing (TIF)?
Candidate Kelly May: When projects fit into our strategic plan we should use every available resource to secure the project. I think we should identify what areas of the city could qualify for economic incentives now, so that when it's time to have the discussion with potential developers, we're ready.
~~~~~ Voting ~~~~~
Only 33% of eligible Franklin County voters participated in the last election and that was considered a good turnout. What do you think can be done to increase voter turnout and engagement?
Candidate Kelly May: By using data, we should continue to target precincts who have low voter turn out using social media and having voting registration/awareness events in those communities.
Together Frankfort: What is your opinion about election security in Franklin County?
Candidate Kelly May: I know we have the best people working to ensure a fair and secure election and trust Jeff Hancock and his team at the Franklin County Clerks Office.
~~~~~ Gun Violence ~~~~~
Together Frankfort: What specific measures do you believe could reduce gun violence in Kentucky and if elected, what would you do to make sure those measures are put in place?
Candidate Kelly May: Reducing Gun violence is much larger than gun control. We are past gun control, though screening before purchase should occur and licensing should continue. This violence is nonsense, personal tit for tat, and culture issues. We need to engage and enforce sentences and punishments in these senseless acts. It seems the value of the human race has deeply declined over the past few years which is very sad.
I would support and encourage more community events to promote family, community and support. In hopes these interactions would eliminate the hate in this world and encourage love, compassion and accountability.
Together Frankfort: Suicides account for 66% of all gun deaths in Kentucky. Do you have proposals that would reduce those deaths?
Candidate Kelly May: I will support any proposal that helps reduce gun violence in our community and helps ensure equitable access to mental health services.
Together Frankfort: The federal government has just passed legislation that would send money to Kentucky for gun violence prevention--specifically for enacting a red flag law or something similar. How would you propose to spend that money to prevent gun violence in our commonwealth?
Candidate Kelly May:
~~~~~ Campaign Contributions ~~~~~
Together Frankfort: What is your position on Dark Money?
Candidate Kelly May: I believe in being transparent and honest when it comes to who supports my campaign financially and would support legislation that makes it harder to accept Dark Money.
Will you identify all contributors to your campaign, including those who contribute to political action committees that support you?
Candidate Kelly May: Yes
~~~~ Health Care ~~~~
What is your position on reproductive health care for women and Constitutional Amendment #2?
Candidate Kelly May: I don't think opinions of morality, based on religious beliefs or personal beliefs should influence a woman's right to healthcare. That's a decision that should be made between a woman and her healthcare provider, not the government.
What is your position on expanding mental health care in Franklin County?
Candidate Kelly May: It's necessary if we want reduce gun violence, drug abuse, child abuse, suicide, domestic violence, animal abuse etc. It will take a community wide effort to support and fund the infrastructure necessary however and now more than ever, we must commit to solving these issues.
~~~~~ Housing ~~~~~
Would you, if elected, tackle our affordable housing crisis by supporting a city/county ordinance that adopts the Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act (URLTA) to define the rights of renting citizens and families and landlords, and follow the lead of other towns and cities by adopting regulations on Airbnb and other short-term rentals?
Candidate Kelly May: Yes, I would be open to bringing all the stake holders to the table to begin discussions about ensuring we have affordable housing in our community.
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Together Frankfort expresses our sincere appreciation to Candidate Kelly May, along with other City Commission Candidates Hale, Thompson, and Waldridge for responding to the questionnaire.
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For further information about Candidate May's responses to these questions, or his thoughts on other issues, his contact information is:
582 Hopi Trail
Frankfort KY 40601
Phone: 502.875.8500
E-mail: kellymayforcommissioner@gmail.com
Candidate Facebook
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