SRI — Kenton County Site Readiness Initiative #
I don't have an "official" position on Kenton County's Site Readiness Initiative (SRI) because the PVA's office has nothing to do with it. The PVA has no authority over zoning, land use, development, or economic development. Those responsibilities belong to other entities, including city councils, fiscal courts, planning commissions, and the state legislature.
The Property Valuation Administrator has a very specific role: assessing property at fair market value and maintaining accurate property records. In my opinion, suggesting that the PVA could meaningfully support or oppose SRI in an official capacity would be disingenuous and misleading. I would never want voters to make a decision based on the PVA implying authority it simply does not have.
With that said, I am familiar with SRI and do have personal thoughts on it, while recognizing that the PVA would have no influence over it. I also believe there has been a great deal of misinformation and exaggeration about what SRI actually is. Here are my general thoughts:
I love rural Southern Kenton County and would love to see it remain exactly as it is forever. At the same time, I recognize the reality that growth and development are inevitable. The question is not whether growth will occur, but whether it will be planned responsibly or allowed to happen in a disjointed, uncoordinated way. That is one of the reasons I originally became involved in city government in Independence. As a commercial real estate appraiser, I have seen "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of suburban development throughout the region. My goal has always been smart growth — doing everything possible to guide and manage development toward the best outcomes for the community. You can't stop growth any more than you can stop a river from flowing. The question is whether you guide it responsibly or let it spill wherever it wants and deal with the consequences afterward.
I strongly believe in private property rights. While government sometimes must place reasonable limitations on property use for the good of the broader community, we also have to be careful not to unnecessarily restrict the rights of property owners. Those decisions are primarily handled through zoning and nuisance regulations, both of which — especially zoning — require extensive public notice and opportunities for citizen input. If and when future zoning changes are proposed, neighboring property owners and residents will absolutely have a voice in that process.
There are approximately 54,000 acres in unincorporated Southern Kenton County. The area discussed within SRI reportedly involves only about 2,000 to 3,000 acres along the west side of US 25 near the southwestern edge of the county, closest to interstate and rail access. Aside from the fact that the initiative only encompasses a fraction of Southern Kenton County, as a commercial real estate professional, I know the lack of sewer infrastructure, interstate/rail access, and limitations within the current road network make widespread industrial expansion eastward highly unlikely for the foreseeable future — certainly not in my lifetime.
SRI is essentially an effort by Kenton County officials to think ahead and plan for potential future growth in an orderly way before development pressures intensify. More importantly, SRI does not propose to:
- Rezone anyone's property without the property owner requesting it. In practice, zoning changes are almost always initiated by property owners, not government entities.
- Authorize the taking of private property through eminent domain or other government action. Economic development alone is rarely considered sufficient justification for eminent domain, and I am not aware of any instance in Kenton County where property was taken for that purpose. Eminent domain cases are generally rare and are typically limited to roadway or utility improvements involving relatively small amounts of land.
Despite claims circulating on social media, neither Kris Knochelmann nor anyone else associated with Kenton County government has ever asked for my opinion on SRI. Judge Knochelmann did not ask me to run for PVA, nor does he support my campaign.
Despite endorsing my opponent, the South Kenton Citizens Group has never contacted me to ask my opinion or position on SRI. They simply appear to have assumed what my position must be. Again, though, it is important to remember that the PVA's office has absolutely no authority over zoning, land use planning, or development decisions.
Development & Growth #
I can't emphasize enough that the PVA's office has absolutely nothing to do with zoning, land use, development, or economic development. Those responsibilities belong to other entities, including city councils, fiscal courts, planning commissions, and the state legislature.
With that said, during my time as mayor I have been accused of trying to "turn Independence into another Florence." That couldn't be further from the truth. I just recognize that growth is inevitable — you can't stop it. The best you can do is to try to manage and guide it. That is one of the reasons I originally became involved in city government. As a commercial real estate appraiser, I have seen "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of suburban development throughout the region. My goal has always been smart growth — doing everything possible to guide and manage development toward the best outcomes for the community.
Trying to completely stop development is a lot like trying to stop a river from flowing. You can dam it up for a while, redirect it, slow it down, or channel it in a better direction — but the pressure never disappears. Eventually, the water finds another path, often with worse consequences like flooding, erosion, or damage downstream.
Growth works the same way. People move, families grow, businesses expand, housing is needed, and investment follows opportunity. If a community refuses to plan for that growth, development doesn't magically disappear — it often just becomes poorly coordinated, scattered, or driven by whoever happens to act first.
The real goal of leadership isn't to "stop the river." It's to build the right channels, levees, and safeguards so growth happens in a way that protects what people love most about the place they live.
Commercial Real Estate Position #
Some concerns, and several misrepresentations, have been raised over the fact that I am a commercial real estate professional. To be clear, I am a commercial real estate appraiser and have been for the past 37 years. I am not a Realtor, broker, or investor. I have never been involved in buying or selling real estate, except the two homes that I've lived in and the one I am currently renovating to live in.
As an appraiser, my job is simply to estimate the market value of property for a variety of reasons including bank loans, estate settlements, litigation, tax appeals, etc. By law, I am required to be objective, unbiased, and cannot have an interest in the property I appraise, nor can my fee be contingent upon the value conclusion. I don't derive a benefit from the properties or the transactions.
I'm not sure how being an appraiser creates a conflict of interest. To the contrary, it seems like it would make me well qualified to fulfill the obligations of the PVA's office to provide an unbiased estimate of fair market value of the real property in Kenton County.
Our current PVA is a Realtor and was long before she became PVA. In addition, I believe she's been a real estate investor over the years. I don't see a problem with that nor am I aware of any circumstance in which that created a conflict. I think real estate knowledge is important — I just think the broader experience of an appraiser is more beneficial than a Realtor.
Kris Knochelmann #
Despite claims circulating on social media, Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann did not ask me to run for PVA, nor does he support my campaign through endorsements, financially or in any other way.
While I personally like and respect Judge Knochelmann, reasonable people don't always agree on every issue. When that has occurred, I have firmly voiced my concerns in public meetings. I have done this politely and respectfully, because I believe that's the way reasonable people conduct themselves. I also believe Judge Knochelmann would also say that he personally likes and respects me, but I'm not sure that I'd be the person he'd select as a "yes man." Frankly, I don't see him looking for that type of person anyway.