Eleven file for city commission

Among the 11 can­di­dates who filed for Winchester’s city com­mis­sion before the books closed at 4 p.m. Friday was one who will be a famil­iar face to TV news watchers.

Jim Caldwell, the for­mer Channel 27 weath­er man for more than 12 years, was the last can­di­date to file at the cour­t­house for any office in the 2026 elec­tion, accord­ing to Clark County Clerk Michelle Turner.

Caldwell post­ed this on his Facebook page late Friday afternoon: 

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve felt a pull toward pub­lic ser­vice. Not for titles, but because I’ve always believed that when a place tru­ly feels like home, you should be will­ing to give back to it.

“I’ve been blessed with three places that shaped my life — Royalton/Salyersville, Hazard, and Winchester. Each one left its mark on me. But Winchester feels dif­fer­ent. It doesn’t just feel like where I live. It feels like where I belong.

“This next chap­ter isn’t about ambi­tion. It’s about pur­pose. And Winchester feels like home.

Caldwell, who grew up in Magoffin County, moved to Winchester with his fam­i­ly in 2017. He left WKYT last month to become pub­lic rela­tions and mar­ket­ing direc­tor for the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation after more than 20 years as a mete­o­rol­o­gist for WYMT, the CBS affil­i­ate for Eastern Kentucky, and then WKYT. He began his broad­cast­ing career work­ing for a radio sta­tion in Salyersville when he was just 15.

Because more than eight can­di­dates filed for the non­par­ti­san Winchester Board of Commissioners, there will be a pri­ma­ry May 19.

The pri­ma­ry will nar­row the field to eight, who will advance to the Nov. 3 gen­er­al election.

The can­di­dates for the pri­ma­ry include three of the four incum­bents: Kitty W. Strode, Hannah Toole, and Joe Lee Chenault. (Longtime Commissioner Shannon J. Cox opt­ed to run for coun­ty judge-exec­u­tive instead.)

Former City Commissioner Kenny Book is also run­ning again, along with a cou­ple of oth­er can­di­dates who tried but didn’t make the cut in 2022: Ralph Harrison, who has also run for may­or in the past, and Robin Kunkel.

Other can­di­dates for com­mis­sion are James Bowman, Tim Cornett, Tara Asbury, and Logan Hall.

Winchester Mayor JoEllen Reed, who was elect­ed in 2022, also drew an oppo­nent, Perry Williams. Because only two can­di­dates filed, how­ev­er, they will not face each oth­er until the gen­er­al election.

County races

There will be a crowd­ed field for the Clark County judge-executive’s race. Besides Cox, oth­er can­di­dates on the Republican side are Magistrate Stephen Craycraft, who decid­ed to go for the top job rather than run for re-elec­tion; Justin Charles, who ran for the same office as a Democrat the last time; and Eric Vetter.

The Republican incum­bent, Les Yates, decid­ed not to seek a sec­ond term, choos­ing instead to run for state rep­re­sen­ta­tive of the 73^rd House District, the job he held for one term until he was defeat­ed in the 2020 GOP pri­ma­ry by Ryan Dotson, who is now the state rep.

On the Democratic side, the only can­di­date for judge-exec­u­tive is Vaché L. King, who also ran in 2022. As she is unop­posed in her par­ty, her name won’t be on the bal­lot until November.

There could be a rematch in November between for­mer Property Valuation Administrator Jason Neely, a Democrat, and cur­rent PVA Jada Brady, the Republican who bare­ly beat him in the 2022 elec­tion. However, Brady will first have to face for­mer County Road Supervisor Allan W. Curtis in the Republican pri­ma­ry. Neely is unop­posed in the Democratic pri­ma­ry, so he won’t be on the bal­lot until the gen­er­al election.

Some incum­bent coun­ty offi­cials won’t face oppo­si­tion at all unless some­one files to run against them as an inde­pen­dent or third par­ty can­di­date or a write-in can­di­date in August.

Those unop­posed for now are County Attorney William D. Elkins, Sheriff Berl Perdue, and Coroner Neal Oliver, all Republicans, and Turner, the coun­ty clerk, who is a Democrat.

Jailer Frank “Squatty” Doyle, a Democrat, has no oppo­si­tion in his party’s pri­ma­ry, but will face a Republican chal­lenger, Chris Grant, in November.

A cou­ple of incum­bent mag­is­trates on the Clark County Fiscal Court will face chal­lengers in the Republican pri­ma­ry. Earnest W. Pasley, who rep­re­sents the 2^nd District, would have to beat Bryan Howard and Kelley McDonald Nisbet in the pri­ma­ry, but the win­ner of that race will not have a Democratic oppo­nent in November. And Magistrate Christopher M. Davis is being chal­lenged for his seat by fel­low Republican Michael H. Flynn, the for­mer Winchester city manager.

In the 3^rd District, which Craycraft is leav­ing to run for coun­ty judge, two Republicans are vying for the seat: Christy Fulks Bush and Benjamin Moberly. There is no Democratic can­di­date for the 3^rd.

In the 1^st District, Republican Scott Hisle and Democrat Jeannie Hall Gwynne are unop­posed in their par­ties, so they won’t be on the bal­lot until November.

The cur­rent 1^st District mag­is­trate, Republican Daniel Konstantopoulos, is run­ning for state rep­re­sen­ta­tive instead.

Fourth District Magistrate Mark Darryl Miller, a Republican, and 6^th District Magistrate Robert G. Blanton are unopposed.

Constables, who are elect­ed peace offi­cers, run in mag­is­te­r­i­al dis­tricts by par­ty. Those on the bal­lot are incum­bent Republicans Travis Jay McIntosh in the 2^nd District, Shelby Lynn Toler II in the 3^rd, David Puckett in the 4^th District, and William Frank Kennon in the 4^th. No one filed for the 1^st and 5^th Districts, and no Democrats filed for any of the con­sta­ble offices.