Strode highlights experience, community commitment

In the 15 years she has been a Winchester city com­mis­sion­er, Kitty Strode has been involved in orga­niz­ing fes­ti­vals and con­cert series, pro­mot­ing tourism, pre­serv­ing his­to­ry, attract­ing busi­ness­es, and revi­tal­iz­ing downtown.

If the vot­ers give her anoth­er term, she would like to con­tin­ue that work and take her town to the next level.

“I chose to run for this Winchester Board of Commissioners because I care deeply about this com­mu­ni­ty and the peo­ple who call it home,” she said. “Serving Winchester has nev­er been just a title to me; it has been a com­mit­ment built on years of involve­ment, lis­ten­ing, and work­ing along­side oth­ers to make our city stronger.”

She feels that her many years of expe­ri­ence, long-stand­ing rela­tion­ships with­in the com­mu­ni­ty, will­ing­ness to lis­ten to con­stituents, and involve­ment with boards and com­mit­tees help her stay con­nect­ed and informed about what the city’s res­i­dents want and need.

Her expe­ri­ence, ded­i­ca­tion, and car­ing are what qual­i­fy her for the job, she said.

She is one of 10 can­di­dates in the non­par­ti­san, at-large pri­ma­ry on May 19. The top eight can­di­dates will move on to the gen­er­al elec­tion in the fall.

Strode grew up in Lexington, and over the years, has built strong ties through­out the region while mak­ing Winchester her home.

She worked for Lexington’s bur­ley tobac­co mar­ket for 35 years and also worked for Churchill Downs before retir­ing from those jobs.

For more than 40 years, she has worked as a mutuel clerk at Keeneland.

After her retire­ment, Strode want­ed to remain active and use­ful to her com­mu­ni­ty, so she began to focus more deeply on pub­lic service.

“I have always believed that when you care about a place, you do not just talk about it, you show up, roll up your sleeves, and help,” she said.

Over the years, Strode helped cre­ate Winchester’s Rock the Block con­cert series and was part of the found­ing group that estab­lished the Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, now in its 47^th year. She has also served on the Beer Cheese Festival Committee.

Strode has worked with the Bluegrass Heritage Museum’s board, the Tourism Commission, the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce, the Holly Rood Historical Preservation Commission, Public Works, the city’s EMS Committee, and most recent­ly, the Opioid Abatement Committee.

“Staying involved in these areas allows me to bet­ter under­stand the needs of our res­i­dents and sup­port thought­ful deci­sions that affect the dai­ly life, health, safe­ty, and future of our com­mu­ni­ty,” she commented.

“One area that has always mat­tered to me is beau­ti­fi­ca­tion — but to me, beau­ti­fi­ca­tion means more than appear­ance. It means car­ing for the whole com­mu­ni­ty: our neigh­bor­hoods, down­town, pub­lic spaces, his­toric build­ings, streets, side­walks, and gath­er­ing places,” Strode said. “When we take care of our city, we sup­port jobs, encour­age invest­ment, strength­en local busi­ness­es, and pro­tect the qual­i­ty of life that makes Winchester special.”

Strode has a daugh­ter who was brought up in Winchester, along with a son-in-law and three grand­daugh­ters, who are “a source of pride and joy.”

She is a proud fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Strode said that two of the most impor­tant issues fac­ing Winchester are respon­si­ble growth and the pro­tec­tion of the qual­i­ty of life for the peo­ple who live here.

“Winchester is grow­ing, and growth can be a pos­i­tive thing when it is han­dled care­ful­ly,” she said. “We must con­tin­ue plan­ning for infra­struc­ture, hous­ing, pub­lic safe­ty, util­i­ties, and city ser­vices in ways that sup­port both res­i­dents and busi­ness­es. Growth should be thought­ful and bal­anced, guid­ed by what is best for the peo­ple who already call Winchester home while wel­com­ing new opportunities.”

The can­di­date said it is impor­tant for the city com­mis­sion to “con­tin­ue to invest in the over­all strength and well-being of our city.” That includes main­tain­ing neigh­bor­hoods, down­town, pub­lic spaces, his­toric build­ings, streets, side­walks, and city services.

“These invest­ments sup­port safe­ty, encour­age eco­nom­ic devel­op­ment, pro­tect prop­er­ty val­ues, and strength­en com­mu­ni­ty pride,” she said. “When we pre­serve our his­to­ry, improve pub­lic spaces, sup­port local busi­ness­es, and plan respon­si­bly, we are build­ing a city that is wel­com­ing, safe, and pre­pared for the future,” Strode said. “I believe Winchester’s future depends on lis­ten­ing to cit­i­zens, plan­ning wise­ly, pro­tect­ing what makes our com­mu­ni­ty spe­cial, and con­tin­u­ing to invest in the peo­ple and places that make this city worth loving.”