16 candidates vying for 3 county commissioner seats

Jan. 29—With 16 candidates campaigning for Daviess County commissioner, the field is large, with a cross section of residents looking to fill three seats on the four-member elected body.

Judge-Executive Al Mattingly, who currently holds the fourth seat, will retire at the close of his current.

Current Central Division Commissioner Charlie Castlen has opted to run for judge-executive and East Division Commissioner Mike Koger has decided to retire.

West Division Commissioner George Wathen is the only incumbent commissioner running for reelection.

Wathen, 74, said he believes it is important to have some continuity on Daviess Fiscal Court.

"I am actually the only candidate running that has held the specific position before," he said. "You will have at least two new members to the court and I think it is important we have continuity."

Wathen, one of the 15 Republicans running for county commissioner, said he believes conservative people are needed in elected positions now more than ever.

"Anybody who knows me or knows about me, they know that I am a conservative whether it comes to talking about social issues or being fiscally conservative."

Other candidates campaigning for the County Commissioner West position include Sharon Castle, 79, Chris Castlen, 57, Patrick Hayden, 44 and Dustin Warren, 41.

Castle, who previosuly campaigned for Daviess County School Board in 2020, said she is running because she does not feel communication is being handled properly at fiscal court.

"Communication is everything when you are talking about dealing with people; so it is very important to get that information and get your things looked into," Castle said. "Even if there isn't anything you can do about it, you really need to let the people know because they are paying taxes."

Castlen, a U.S. Marine and retired Owensboro Police Department lieutenant said he believes it is time for a new generation of leadership in Daviess County.

"I have got two daughters in college, one in high school, and I see as a community we need to improve on our current successes we have had in Daviess County and continue with the opportunities for our future generations by building on our successes, too," Castlen said. "I think a change in generation of leadership is what we need to do that."

Patrick Hayden, 44, who has worked in the construction industry, said he believes fiscal Court should be more conservative in regards to the budget and spending.

"I think there is always fat in the budget and I think they have enough money, but they always feel like they always have to spend it," Hayden said. "It is always, 'we might not raise taxes this year,' instead of 'hey, we were good stewards of your money so we are going to lower them'."

Dustin Warren, a farmer and volunteer firefighter, said he decided to run for county commissioner to help ensure Daviess County has a good future.

"I decided to run for the taxpayers, the citizens and the future of our community," Warren said. "I just want to be able to give everyone the transparency they need to be heard and just be a voice for them."

The 2022 primary brought out seven candidates for the County Commissioner Central seat, which unlike the West District, has no incumbent campaigning for reelection.

Local business owner Darrin Autry, 57, decided to enter the race for the Central District because he would like to see more business growth in Daviess County.

"I think the main issue is to try to help Owensboro grow again," Autry said. "Our cops, our public services, they have not been treated very well and I feel we need to show our support for them as well."

Dianne Burns Mackey, 75, a retired teacher and former member of the Daviess County Board of Education, said she would like to see more people from outside the city of Owensboro representing Daviess County on fiscal Court.

Issues regarding flooding and drainage are areas she would like to work on if elected.

"I know issues that are particular to the county, such as the water from Panther Creek," Mackey said. "I would like to see Panther Creek cleaned out more regularly so that we don't have as much of the flooding."

Mackey said she is conservative in spending and does not feel taxes should be raised.

"I don't feel like we should raise taxes, I am conservative in that respect," she said.

Larry Conder, a former Owensboro City commissioner, also decided to throw his hat in the county commissioner ring.

Conder, 61, said he wants to make sure the $19.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding is spent in a way that is most beneficial to Daviess County residents.

"There is a significant amount of ARPA funds and other monies that will be coming to fiscal court, if not already, that need to be administered correctly, over a long period of time," he said. "This is the first time in a very long time that fiscal court has had this, I guess generational opportunity, to really make a difference in the lives of people who live in Daviess County."

Andy Gamblin, 58, said as a school bus monitor for Owensboro Public Schools, he does not have a lot of money to spend on a big campaign, but he still wants to give it his best.

"I am concerned about our county," Gamblin said. "I want to try and keep the taxes lower and we need to try and bring in some good high paying jobs."

Jason A. Jackson, Phantom Electric & Technologies owner, said he is interested in seeing the Daviess County parks maintained.

Jackson, 40, said he decided to run, "to try and make a change, to really get a grasp of the budget."

Jackson said he believes there is reckless spending, and he would like to see a fiscal court budget that does not spend all the money allocated.

"We have the budget and we spend it all," he said. "We don't always have to spend everything just because you have the budget."

Michael Norman King, 40, said he is running to promote business and job growth in Daviess County.

"I think the current regulations are too rigid and jeopardize growth," King said.

King, president of Norman King Electric, said that by making those business regulations more user friendly, it will allow for more job growth and help alleviate any possibility of increased taxes.

Tyler Sagardoy, 32, and the lone Democrat running for Daviess County Commissioner, said he believes good government is more than good management.

"I'm running for commissioner because I believe in the transformative power of good fiscally responsible local government," said Sagardoy who won't have an opponent until the November general election.

Matt Fitzgerald, a 37-year-old Iraq War veteran and former law enforcement officer, said public service is important to him. That is why he decided to campaign for the East Division seat.

"I have a daughter; she was born in November and I am doing a lot of this because of her and future generations," Fitzgerald said. "We should try to leave the county better than when we found it."

Mark Irby, 47, said he believes his 24 years of experience working in a variety of different county departments and several different boards have helped him gain the necessary experience to serve on fiscal court.

"I started working for the county back in 1998," Irby said. "We have a great fiscal court right now. They have lined us up with a great blueprint for us to continue and I would like to be a part of that."

Real-estate agent Janie Marksberry, 62, said she decided to run because she wants to see "smart growth" in the Daviess County community.

"I think we need to plan for Daviess County to prosper in the future and help improve our quality of life while preserving what makes our county special," she said. "We want to focus on rebuilding and revitalizing our existing business areas and streamline and simplify our planning and zoning process."

East District candidate Jimmie D. Sapp, 62, said now that he has been able to step back a little from his business, Twin Oaks Automotive, he would like to give back to Daviess County.

"I believe I can make a difference with the background that I have had in business and agriculture," Sapp said. "I am a very conservative businessman man and I have been fortunate to have owned my own business for 27 years and I recently decided I was going to retire or pull way back and try to give back to the community that I have been so blessed to have a business in."

The upcoming primary election is set for May 17.

Nathan Havenner, Messenger-Inquirer, nhavenner@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-228-2837