It was a night of remembrance and recognition at the Pennyrile Area Development District Annual Meeting and Dinner Monday evening.
It was a full house at the James E. Bruce Convention Center, with representatives from numerous local governments across the Pennyrile region, state legislators, industry partners and state government. One such visitor was Secretary of State Michael Adams, who bragged on PADD’s ability to work together across the aisle for the betterment of all communities.
Todd County Judge-Executive Todd Mansfield was recognized for five years of service to the PADD Board of Directors—and he had the honor of presenting the John C. Mahre Regionalism Award to the family of the late John Walton, in celebration of a man who made it his mission to leave the world better than he found it.
Walton served as Elkton’s mayor from 1999 to 2006 and was involved heavily in nearly every major industrial and economic development for Todd County the last several decades—videos from both Governor Andy Beshear and Senior Advisory Rocky Adkins were played, where they spoke of their friendship with Walton and the impact he had on everyone.
The guest speaker was Leadership Speaker Lisa Marie Platske, who said she was very impressed by the connections PADD has made and continues to make, urging everyone to work together to make a difference.
PADD Executive Director Jason Vincent says PADD is committed to maintaining and creating more community connections, to keep this region moving forward in all areas.