4 Floyd council seats up for grabs

By Matt Batcheldor
The Courier-Journal

The eight candidates running for four seats on the Floyd County Council have a lot of ideas of how to spend the county's $10 million budget, but they acknowledge that there isn't nearly enough money to accomplish them all.

Managing a tight budget that gets tighter by the year is a chief concern for the council. The state ordered the county to cut $3 million from what was a $13 million budget earlier this year.

It means less money is available for growing needs, current council members have complained, and candidates agree. They said the county needs a new jail, youth shelter, annex, more police and corrections officers, and a new court.

Four of the council's seven seats are up for election this year. The three at-large seats are not on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Here's a breakdown of the races and who's running:
1st District

The 1st District will have a new representative for the first time in 16 years. Democrat Tom Pickett defeated longtime incumbent Ted Heavrin in the primary election and will face Republican Phyllis Thomas. Both are political newcomers.

Pickett, a 54-year-old auto mechanic who teaches at the Prosser School of Technology, said his top priority is "to keep a close eye on the budget."

He said he hopes the youth shelter can go to the state-owned former Silvercrest Children's Development Center, as has been proposed. He's undecided about whether to build a new Floyd County Jail, suggesting the current one could be expanded.

Read the full story on the County Council Race at the Louisville Courier - Journal.com