Local election causes major changes

On Nov. 3, Fort Thomas held a city election for multiple different categories. The categories were School Board Members, Fort Thomas Mayor and City Council.

The winners for City Council were Adam Blau, Steve Arey, Lauren McIntosh, Mary Anne Brown, Allison Alessandro and Brandon Roller. The winners will serve a two-year term starting in January 2027. City council members are nonpolitical, which means they do not affiliate with the Democratic and Republican parties.

Five out of the six city council members are new to being on the city council. With most of the candidates being new, it is a very exciting time with the new responsibilities and roles they are going to take on.

“I am one of six votes, so I need to work with others to make change, but one of the main things I want to accomplish is to create a Junior Council of students that would bring ideas to council,” City Council electee Steve Arey said.

While the council has new members, they are not the only new electees. Fort Thomas elected the newest mayor, Sharon Macknight. She won the race against opposing candidate Andy Ellison. Macknight won 3,354 votes to 3,329 votes, making Macknight Fort Thomas new mayor.

“By Election Day, I knew I had given it everything I had. At that point, it was up to the people of Fort Thomas to decide, and I was at peace with that. Regardless of the outcome, I knew I had done everything I could, and that was a good feeling,” Mayor-elect Sharon Macknight said.

With the city council having six different people on it, they need to work as a team to make sure they are making the best decisions for Fort Thomas as a whole and looking at multiple perspectives of the city.

“I’ve even been sworn in, because Council works as a group and I still have a lot to learn about how the City operates day to day,” City Council electee Brandon Roller said.

The voting was very close, and emotions were high. Families watched to see who would be elected, and prospective electors waited to see if they would be a part of something special. It is a very amazing thing that the electees are doing, and it takes a lot of courage to run for something like this.

“Once Election Day arrives, there isn’t much left you can control, so you mostly wait. I was nervous, but I was also grateful for everyone who took the time to vote and for all the family, friends, and neighbors who supported me along the way,” Roller said.

Being a part of the city council or being mayor is a difficult role, and it takes a lot of one’s time. It is important for the elected officials to have good time management skills to make sure they keep up with their job outside of the council but also inside the council.

“I will keep my full-time job. City Council is a part-time role, and most of the meetings happen in the evenings. The biggest change is time management. I will need to balance work, family, and Council responsibilities, including preparing for meetings, reading materials ahead of time, and being available to residents,” Roller said.

Being on any type of council or as a mayor, people will feel a lot of pressure to make sure they are making the right decisions for the city. With them making these big decisions it is easy to make people happy but also easy to upset them.

“With four new Council members and me stepping into these roles, there’s a lot for all of us to learn. I think it’s important to show each other patience, grace, and understanding along the way,” Macknight said.

With all of these new leaders stepping into these roles, it is exciting to see what they can do for the community as a whole. It is also exciting to see how the new leaders will get along with each other to make the city great.

Local election causes major changes

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