Leadington mayor will not seek re-election

LEADINGTON — For the first time in eight years Leadington will have a new mayor after the April election. Mayor Larry Kennon has announced he will not seek re-election. Kennon said he feels it is time for a change.

“I want to eventually move back out into the country,” he said. “I have enough with work to keep me busy and I am getting to the age where I need to slow down.”

He said he definitely still cares about the city and wants to see it continue to grow and prosper. Kennon said one accomplishment he is proud of is the city’s annexation of the east side of Highway 67.

“That almost doubled our size,” he said. “It grew the area which is ready for development. We also furnished water and sewer to the annexed area. I am proud of those accomplishments.”

Kennon also said he is proud of the recent change over at the Woodlawn Cemetery. The city assisted with the transferred control of the cemetery from Glenwood Hargis Sr. to a newly formed board of directors. At the time Kennon said the city should be involved in the process of the changeover because the cemetery is part of the community.

“We worked with Park Hills on several projects and I am proud of the relationship that we established,” he said. “It’s better to work together than against each other.”

He said he wishes economic times had been better during his tenure.

“I wish we could have gotten more businesses into the city,” Kennon said. “That would have brought more revenue into the city. We have a lot of city expenses. We employ five police officers for a community of 300 people. We have to because of all the traffic that comes through here.”

Alderman Troy Dickens has filed for the mayoral position. Dickens has Kennon’s endorsement.

“He (Dickens) has been real active on the board and will make a good mayor,” he said. “He definitely has my support.”

Filings for municipal and school board positions in the April election close on Tuesday. The Daily Journal will have an up-to-date story on each city and school board’s filings in Friday’s paper.

Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.