Longtime Hopkinsville City Councilmember Paul Henson will not be seeking re-election, making this his last term, due to health issues.
Speaking with the media before council Tuesday, the 80-year old Henson announced that due to an ongoing battle with stage four lung cancer, he’ll be ending a 14 year career in local government. He says it was a very difficult decision to make, because he truly loves working for the people.
His term ends on December 31, and he’s putting his support behind Chuck Crabtree, one of the two men running for his seat—the other is Bradley Garabrandt—which is Ward 4. Henson says he first got into local government thanks to a drive to correct the flooding problems that had plagued Hopkinsville for so long—he says the corrections that have happened there and leading the charge for the Hopkinsville Transit System are two things he’s most proud of.
Henson has served on a multitude of boards and commissions in his time in office, and says for now he will focus on his health, but when he beats cancer, he suspects that he and his wife will do a lot of traveling.