The Hopkinsville-Christian County and Todd County Association of Realtors heard from the two candidates running for Mayor of Hopkinsville at their Thursday meeting.
Democrat Alethea West and Republican James R. Knight fielded questions about housing, rental agreements, evictions and more. On the topic of homelessness in Hopkinsville, West says she would first form a coalition that would accurately count the number of people struggling with homelessness, and from there find ways to address the problem.
Knight says we need to determine what individuals are struggling with that is causing them to be homeless, and then work on helping them solve those issues.
When it comes to possible tax increases in the future to address needs of the city, such as funding the pension needs of employees, Knight says he is against raising taxes—he says the city needs to focus more on making sure they’re not pulling money away from items to pay for other things.
West says she knows no one likes tax increases, but it’s not realistic to think one might not be needed eventually to help Hopkinsville stay fiscally sound.
West and Knight will face off in the November general election—listen to the forum in its entirety below.
Full forum: