There will soon be two new faces on Morehead’s City Council. Michael “Coach” Kash and Darrell Littleton will be replacing David Perkins and Jan Bishop, long-time council members who lost their re-election bids. Kash, however, is not entirely new to the council after serving three previous terms.
He said there are several issues he hopes to address during his upcoming term including facilitating a new fire station.
“Most folks in town probably haven't been here long enough to realize that Fire Station 1, the one downtown, that at one time was a three-bay car wash there. So, our firemen are working out of a building that I don't think is adequate to meet the needs of a growing city,” Kash said.
Kash added that cooperation is paramount to him and the city council has no place for partisan politics.
“I would say when they created city government as a nonpartisan race, I think that was extremely wise. Because we need to be, as council members, need to be equally serving of democrats, republicans, independents, all. Not just for one party,” said Kash.
Kash said that transparency is important to him, and making himself available to the public is how he plans to ensure people know what’s going on in their local government. He also wants city council meetings to be advertised more and would like to establish weekly announcements from the group to keep the public more informed.
Darrell Littleton echoed many of the same sentiments as Kash. Littleton is a local businessman and Morehead State Alum who is new to politics. He said he was drawn to run for the spot because he wants to make a difference, not because he wants a career in politics.
“I'm looking for how I can make the legacy that we leave behind for my kids and my grandkids. What can I do? Should I be doing my civic duty? Number one - for an example to them to get involved. And number two - we can't just stand on the sidelines. Get involved, roll up your sleeves,” Littleton said.
He added that as he looks forward to starting his term, he’s optimistic about the city’s possibilities.
“I'm excited. I think we've got a bright future. I think Morehead's grown a little bit here, the downtown area is great looking. We’ve got more to do I'm sure, but we need to look at it and do it fiscally responsibly and not burden the taxpayers so badly. But I'm excited about working on it for the next 2 years,” said Littleton.
Littleton added that a good council member makes themselves available to the public at large and listens to them without bias, qualities he hopes to model over his upcoming term.
Both Kash and Littleton expressed interest in improving the recreational options for the city.
Historically new city council members are sworn in by the mayor during the December meeting following the election. That meeting is scheduled for December 9. More information is online at morehead-ky.gov.