Ben Moberly has never held public office, but he believes the skills he’s learned as a heavy equipment mechanic and business owner would be useful in local government.
“I think the way I can benefit the county most is that I’m a collaborator,” Moberly said. “What I do for a trade is I identify problems and get the right folks or the right parts, whatever it may need, to solve a problem.”
“I think I could transfer that knowledge and that kind of decision-making mindset to the Fiscal Court,” he said.
Moberly, known as “Big Ben,” grew up in Clark County and graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in 1999, and after working a few years, earned an associate’s degree in hydraulic diesel mechanics from the Nashville Auto Diesel College.
“I went straight to work after I got out of high school, and I held a bunch of different jobs. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do,” he said.
After he was laid off from Southern States, he went to Nashville, where he took classes with 18- and 19-year-olds. He was 24, so he was strongly focused on his goals and performed well.
Now he is the owner and lead technician of Moberly Equipment Repair in Clark County, where he works on heavy equipment.
County governments buy and maintain heavy equipment, and Moberly thinks his background could be an asset.
“I could definitely be an adviser and steer decisions in the right direction,” he said.
He has a multifaceted skill set.
“It’s more complicated than being a mechanic,” he said.
“I have to be a mechanic, an electrician, a plumber, an HVAC guy. There are computers in every vehicle. It’s a trade that lends itself to other trades. I actually built my own house through contractors. I did most of the plumbing and wiring myself,” he said.
Although he didn’t mention it directly, he also has to be an accountant and manager.
Moberly believes the values he was brought up with are important.
Those include treating people with respect and living within one’s means.
His father drove an Ale‑8 truck, and every summer, Ben would ride along with him. He saw how his father interacted with business owners and employees who weren’t much older than him.
“Dad treated them all the same,” he said.
Moberly said he is often asked why he would want to be a magistrate. It’s a big responsibility, and it doesn’t pay enough to make a living at it.
“I see a real opportunity to make things better,” he said.
With 3rd District Magistrate Steve Craycraft forgoing re-election to run for county judge-executive, Moberly saw an opening for him to run for the vacant seat and serve his community.
“I feel like I can leave this county better than I found it,” he said.
He is one of three candidates in the Republican primary race for the seat.
Moberly said the biggest challenge facing the county is its financial situation.
“When everybody in the room is talking about it, that’s pretty much a consensus,” he said.
Moberly wouldn’t speculate on cutting spending or raising taxes until he’s had a chance to study things, but he’s started doing that.
“I’ve actually met with several of the department heads already and tried to get their feel,” he said.
The first thing he would ask is what the managers “absolutely have to have. … That’s where you start your budget.”
Then you look beyond that, he said.
“You take your needs, your wants and your dreams, and you put them in order and develop a plan, as well as a timeline for accomplishing other things,” he said. “It’s very simple: You can’t spend more than you make.”
Moberly said he has talked with Jailer Frank Doyle and Deputy Ernie Sammons, and he’s open to ideas about the Clark County Detention Center.
“We have a responsibility to take care of our criminals, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” he said.
Moberly said the state doesn’t adequately reimburse counties for housing its inmates, but there’s a bill before the legislature, HB 557, that would increase reimbursements. The federal government, on the other hand, pays well and covers its prisoners’ expenses, he added.
“You only have a certain number of cells. My thought is you fill them with the most valuable inmates to balance it,” he remarked.
“Or is it cheaper to put your burdens on someone else?” he asked, meaning should the county transfer its inmates to another facility.
Asked about whether the city and county fire departments should merge or if EMS should be privatized, Moberly said that again, it depends on the numbers to make an educated decision.
However, he added: “I also think that anytime we can collaborate, work together for the common good, good things happen.”
On the subject of economic and residential development and preservation of the county’s rural character, Moberly had mixed thoughts.
“Go to Pilot Knob and look back over Clark County and see how beautiful it is,” he said. “I live in the Kiddville area, so I get to enjoy that every day. But I also get to enjoy the luxury of having an exit ramp at Exit 10 on the Mountain Parkway.
“That’s a game changer,” he said.
Moberly said he wants to encourage economic development but be smart about it.
“Does it bring in quality, high-paying jobs for educated folks, or are we just a cheap labor force?” he asked.
If the county offers incentives for low-paying jobs, then those workers won’t have enough income to afford the houses they need, and the county won’t get enough tax revenue to maintain roads and build infrastructure.
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“We can be picky and say, ‘Do you take care of your employees? Do you pay them well? Do you care about their families? Or are they just a number?’”
Something Moberly sees as a long-term goal, if and when the county can afford it, is to build an indoor recreational center where children and youth can go year-round instead of getting involved in things that aren’t good for them.
Moberly, 45, and his wife, Valerie, have two children of their own: a son, Cole, who is 15, and a daughter, Megan, who is 14.
They are members of Christ Church in Winchester, where Ben is a deacon.
