Helm says he would bolster neighborhood alliances

James Mayse, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·3 min read

Reggie Helm has been active in community issues through the Shifley-York Neighborhood Alliance, and said he strongly supports more people being active through the organizations.

Helm, who is running for Owensboro City Commissioner, said he would advocate for alliances, and that he would work to be a voice for citizens at City Hall.

“The only promise I’ll make is I’ll be a servant to the people, and I’ll listen to the ones that don’t feel like they’ve been heard,” Helm said.

Helm ran in 2014, out of financial concerns about the city’s large projects along the riverfront.

“I wanted to point out there were hidden costs,” such as maintenance, to projects along Veterans Boulevard, Helm said.

Helm said he would work for development in areas outside of downtown and Kentucky 54.

“A lot of people feel 54 and downtown are all they (city officials) care about,” Helm said, and that, “there are a lot of people concerned about the amount of power Gulfstream” Commercial Services LLC. Gulfstream is a real estate, construction, property management and investment firm that has developed or is developing properties across the city, including downtown.

“Everyone is for progress, but some say, ‘let’s make what we’ve got work before we move on,’ ” Helm said. “We need people in (city government) to question stuff.”

Later, Helm said, “a lot of people are questioning the private sector as far as the city and who we are involved with.”

Helm said he would work to encourage participation in the neighborhood alliances.

“People don’t realize (the alliances are) a liaison to the city,” Helm said.

Later, Helm said the alliances are “a valuable tool that (are) not being used.”

“My goal is to bring unity to the community at a grassroots level” through the alliances, Helm said.

Regarding homelessness, Helm said he supports having a public area where homeless people could camp and where they could receive services. Helm said homeless people come to Owensboro from other cities, and that some don’t want solutions.

“We’ve become a dumping ground,” Helm said. “We need to take time to find the ones that are milking the system.”

Helm was a founding member of Bicycle Owensboro, and said he would work to do more to expand bicycling in the city.

“We finished Phase I, where you can get safely from downtown the Greenbelt,” he said. “We would like to see Phase II and III, where you can get safely from the east to the Greenbelt.”

Helm is also part of the Owensboro Music Business Expo, which held its 2024 event last month. Helm said he supports making Owensboro a music destination, and that the city needs more music venues.

“We want to be a music town, but there’s no place to find live music, except on certain dates,” Helm said. “If you want to bring people here, you have to have more than one place doing shows.”

Helm said he has been encouraged to run, and that the city needs new people on the commission.

“When you get in a job and are there for a long time, you become, I don’t want to say, ‘lazy,’ but ‘fat and happy,’ ” Helm said. “A lot of people are convinced their voice is not being heard.”