Lynch, Knight Jr. Discuss Hopkinsville Issues in Mayoral Forum

Two Hopkinsville residents running for the mayor seat for the city shared some of their opinions on how to keep the city moving forward during a forum Tuesday morning.

Incumbent Wendell Lynch and business owner James Knight, Jr. talked about issues important to them during the League of Women Voters event.

Both spoke about the pros and cons of city elections becoming nonpartisan and keeping wards. Earlier this year, Lynch vetoed action taken by Hopkinsville City Council to make the elections nonpartisan in a future election cycle.

Incumbent Wendell Lynch

During the forum, Lynch, a Democrat, said the issue needs to be researched more.

Knight, a Republican, said he would support the idea of putting the decision on the ballot and allowing the residents the chance to decide.

Both agree that homeownership under 50% in the city limits is a major issue. Lynch added it’s very troubling and he wants to encourage and educate people on homeownership.

Republican candidate James Knight, Jr.

Knight added one thing he would encourage is the cleaning up of empty lots that would allow living in homes that were previously dilapidated.

Knight added wages need to be raised across the city to help those who want to own a home but can not afford it.

Both support the idea of building a sidewalk on one side of Ft. Campbell Boulevard to help those who walk along the roadway. They both discussed ways to bring in businesses like J.C. Penney and Peebles and challenges that the city faces such as crime. In addition, both addressed ways they would fix the racial problem in the city and provided suggestions on how to fix it.