NKY Tribune Candidate Questions for James

How long have you lived in Covington, and what contributions have you made to the local community during your residency?

I have lived in Covington my entire life except when I was on active duty.  Growing up and continuing to live in Latonia, I’ve developed a deep love for our community that I don’t think I could find anywhere else.  Once I was discharged from my 2012 deployment to Afghanistan, I became involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and really pushed for community involvement as a way to continue to serve as veterans.  

While serving as the Commander at the Latonia VFW, I implemented their annual truck or treat event for neighborhood children, organized and participated in their Annual Kids Fishing Derby, and served on the committee to construct the Covington Vietnam Fallen Memorial.  I was also the Commander when the COVID lockdowns bega, where we ensured our elderly members had any food or supplies that would be needed, as well as collected and donated over 500 face masks to the Cincinnati and Ft Thomas VA facilities. 

I have also advocated keeping Charitable Gaming money as local as possible. Our contributions have supported projects such as the Latonia Little Library construction, the Holmes JROTC program, as well as ensuring children in need had a fulfilling Christmas through partnerships with Latonia Elementary.

I encourage anyone to just take a look at my personal Facebook page and see all of the work the VFW and myself have done over the years. 

James Toebbe (Photo provided)

What sets you apart from the other candidates running for a position on the City Commission?

I believe my understanding of Covington sets me apart from other candidates. As one of the only lifelong residents running – I was raised in a single-parent, low-income household. I share similarities with many in our community and understand the struggles and concerns of many residents. 

After serving my country, I had to transition back to civilian life, starting from the ground up as a temporary employee. I ended up staying at that company for ten years and moved to my current employer where I have worked my way up to an Account Manager, managing one of the largest accounts along with a dedicated team. My background is in data analysis, with over 20 years’ experience, beginning in the military, where I served as a cryptologist. 

My leadership roles within the military and veterans’ organizations have taught me the value of dedication and collaboration. While serving as a leader in veterans’ organizations, leading over 20,000 Kentucky members, I’ve worked with every level of government, advocating for policies that benefit the veteran community. I am committed at leveraging these connections to drive positive change within our city as well. 

What top priorities do you believe Covington should address, and what strategies do you propose to tackle them?

The top priority for any candidate should be ensuring the budget deficit is handled. The finances of the city are a big concern, and we all need to make sure that essential staff like our Fire Department and Police Department are not impacted. I believe the city should handle the deficit no different than any regular citizen should by halting all non-revenue generating expenses that impact the General Fund or improvements that are not absolutely necessary until the deficit is handled. 

In addition to the deficit, other hot topics that I hear about while meeting with residents are the inconsistencies with Code Enforcement between South Covington and the rest of the city. From talking with residents, it appears that Code Enforcement is stricter in South Covington, and issues are being brought up that are ignored in other neighborhoods. Recently, I spoke with a Latonia resident who was confused why their neighbors are never cited for tall grass when people in South Covington are. I want to ensure that we continue the proactive approach of Code Enforcement but be consistent throughout the entire city. 

Affordable housing is also a priority of mine. Many residents experienced significant increases to their property evaluations post pandemic that sent tax rates skyrocketing impacting our most vulnerable residents such as senior citizens as well as low-income families. The city needs to offer tax incentives to make sure that some housing development remains affordable, especially with the abandoned properties scattered throughout Covington. 

Does the City Commission effectively address constituent concerns?

This is a good question, and I think the answer would vary among many residents. I know that any issue I have ever raised with the city has always been addressed – but I also know where to direct them. As a leader, I’ve gained insight into community issues by being out in the neighborhoods and talking with others. Residents do not always know the proper way to address concerns or to where. I think this can be addressed by having our mayor and commissioners out in the communities more, interacting with the residents to see what issues they are facing and identifying trends. Since I’ve been campaigning and knocking on residents’ doors, the biggest issues I have encountered concern abandoned properties, as well as inconsistencies in code enforcement, and many do not know where to direct these concerns.

I remember a few years back, the mayor hosted town hall meetings throughout the different neighborhoods that residents could attend to ask questions and voice their concerns. I feel like these meetings need to continue at least annually throughout different neighborhoods, with both the mayor and commissioners present to hear directly from the residents. This is especially true for senior citizens, who may not know where to go online to find information but have shown that they can attend these town hall meetings.

How can the current process or protocol be enhanced to ensure city staff are accountable for addressing the issues raised by the City Commission?

Having never served on the commission, it is tough to really understand what the current challenges are. In general, a way to make sure that city staff remain accountable for addressing issues is by establishing clear communication channels between the commission and city staff and ensuring issues are properly documented and understood by everyone.

Roles of the city staff need to be clearly defined to ensure that everyone fully understands their duties and obligations in addressing every issue that is raised. The city needs to keep transparent reporting mechanisms where staff can regularly provide updates on addressing the issues. This could include periodic reports on status updates or computer-based platforms where progress can be tracked.

With everything, we need to make certain the city staff responds to every issue in a timely manner. This includes acknowledgment of receipt of the issue as well as an assessment of a plan of action to guarantee the issue is addressed properly.

How do you perceive the relationship between the county and the city?

I am not aware of any issues but I feel that leaders should always strive to strengthen relationships. I work as an account manager and know first-hand how relationship building is necessary for success. I have upcoming meetings with county leaders to discuss this exact topic and listen to their feedback as to how the city can be more proactive in conversations to ensure the success of both our city and county.  
It would be beneficial if the Fiscal Court meetings did not conflict with the City Commission meetings so we could attend both. 

Is there anything else you want to share or discuss regarding your candidacy or vision for Covington?

I just want to say that I am extremely grateful to be in the position that I am in today. I give full credit for my success throughout life to my father and grandparents for their amazing jobs raising me. I am extremely blessed to still have such a great support system from them, as well as the many friends that I consider family throughout this city and state. Everything I have volunteered for in my entire life, I have given 100% of my attention and strive to handle everything with full transparency and collaborative discussions to guarantee all concerns are addressed. I am never afraid to admit when I make a wrong decision and use those experiences to assist in my decision-making in the future. I have nothing to personally gain by running for office, and I am truly doing this to better my community.

Link NKY Candidate Questions for James

Please describe your background and life experience and how it will inform your service if elected.

I am a lifelong resident of Covington, growing up in Latonia in a single-parent household. I attended Latonia Elementary and Holmes High School as a child and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Navy two months after Sept. 11, 2001, as a cryptologic technician. I did not really know what I was signing up for, but I felt that the military would be a good fit. I spent four years on active duty, and once I returned home, I still had a desire to serve. I enlisted in the Kentucky National Guard and then the Navy Reserve after that contract ended and spent a total of 15 years in the service. During my time in the military, I deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as to Afghanistan, where I spent a year working at a detention facility. While in the military, I saw both sides of humanity and am grateful for the opportunity to experience some great things as well as many horrible things. It really makes me appreciate all that we have living in the United States and the freedoms that we are afforded. Since leaving the military, I have been an advocate for veterans while serving in the VFW at post, district and state positions. I travel to Washington D.C. annually at my own expense to speak with our senators and representatives on bills that will benefit veterans as well as active duty and reserve members.

What specific issues will your campaign focus on, and what issues would you like the city to give more attention to?

I want to be able to represent the average Covington resident because that is what I am. I am not a business owner, and I don’t come from wealth. I just work a normal 9-to-5 job every day. 

Many residents sometimes feel forgotten south of downtown, and I want to ensure that every neighborhood knows that they have a voice within our city. I hear a lot of the concerns that many residents have within our city around public safety, activities for our youth and economic development outside of the riverfront area. I feel that our city leaders need to be out in the community more to understand the day-to-day issues that residents are facing and collaboratively work on ways to address those concerns. 

With having four commissioners, I think that it would be easy to divide up among ourselves to be present in the neighborhood meetings like Latonia Uptown, Residents of Westside and other groups, at least a few times a year to hear first-hand from residents what is going on and what we can do as elected leaders to assist.

Many developments in Covington have entailed work with state, county and even federal leaders. How will you advocate for Covington across jurisdictions? Do you foresee any challenges in this regard? 

Advocating on behalf of Covington across jurisdictions will require strategic collaboration and effective communication. If elected, I will leverage already established connections at the city, state and federal levels from my time advocating for veterans and prioritize building new ones at all levels. I will ensure that Covington’s interests are consistently represented in my discussions as well as decision-making processes. 

The challenges that I expect will mostly be with conflicting priorities, but I am confident in our ability as a commission to navigate those. By emphasizing the positive impact of Covington’s initiatives, we can find common ground and gain support from leaders at all levels of government.

What’s your assessment of Covington’s general fund shortfall, and how would you mitigate the problem if elected? 

I do not think that anyone expected COVID to happen and work from home to become sort of the norm for multiple years. I am an employee that historically worked in Covington, and since 2020, I have worked remotely from home. The good news is that in September, the major employer who has caused the shortfall will increase their time in the office from 1 week a month to 50% in-office. I am hopeful that it will relieve some of the burden our city has faced.

If elected, I would support halting all projects coming from the city’s general fund that are not absolutely needed and are not revenue-generating. Like many residents have to cut their spending when faced with budget constraints, the city government should operate the same way.

I would expect by the end of this year during the budget process, we will also see the recommendations from the city’s finance director and see waste and recycling increases at an additional $36 per year. I was shocked to learn that every resident also can receive 1 debris voucher from City Hall per month for bulk dumping at the transfer station. I would support updating that to quarterly or bi-annually because a good majority of residents do not accumulate large amounts of trash to dump, and I would suspect some of that is being abused. Finally, I would support that any changes made that impact residents are immediately reversed once the city is financially stable.

Is there anything else you’d like to speak about that isn’t addressed in the above questions? 

I just want to say that I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to possibly represent the city that I love so much. Through my terms as an elected representative within veterans’ organizations, I always remembered that my job was to represent the members who put me in that position. I understand that if elected as a commissioner, my job is to look out for the best interests of the residents and business owners and listen to their feedback, whether good or bad. I plan to be completely transparent and will never be afraid to admit if I make a mistake. I look forward to the opportunity to meet more residents throughout this campaign season.

Primary Ballot Positions Set

Below is the list of candidate ballot positions for the May primary. All candidates are nonpartisan:

1. Tim Acri
2. Shannon C. Smith
3. Bill Wells
4. Cari McMurtry Garriga
5. Bradie Bowen
6. Morgan Davenport
7. Aaron Wolpert
8. James Toebbe
9. Tim Downing
10. Devin Kroner