The following article appeared on NKY.com and is reprinted here for your convenience.
Changed council making plans
By Chris Mayhew • cmayhew@nky.com • December 14, 2010
A new Alexandria mayor and two new council members will accompany the New Year in 2011, in a sweeping change of leadership for the city.
The newly elected and re-elected officials are already making plans for what issues they are interested in taking up in 2011.
"The city has a new mayor and a third of our city council is new, so for those people who wanted change they got it," said Mayor-elect Bill Rachford.
Voters elected Rachford, a current member of council, to office over Dan McGinley, who has served as mayor for the past 12 years, in the Nov. 2 election.
Additionally, Bob Simon and Joe Anderson were elected to council, filling Rachford's open seat and ousting one-term council member Lloyd Rogers.
Rachford said he's already been in contact with the city clerk about ways to increase community involvement with the city.
"I want to provide a way for citizens to interact with the mayor and city council more than they have in the past," Rachford said.
Rachford said he's planning a social time with coffee and cookies immediately after the Jan. 6 council meeting so the public can mingle a little bit and meet their elected leaders.
Rachford said he plans to have a "Coffee with the Mayor" session at the city building on the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon for anyone to talk about issues without having to come speak at a council meeting.
"I thought I may try that for a few months and see how it goes, I may be sitting there by myself for a couple of hours," he said.
With May as the target, the city will also have the first of several town-hall style council meetings for the public to come and raise issues, Rachford said.
Rachford said once in office he will start a review all the city's ordinances and regulations and see if what the city has is still relevant, and if anything needs to be updated or changed.
In the first snowfall of the New Year, Rachford said he wants to ride along with someone from public works to "experience what they experience" and to also do the same thing with a police officer on their typical shift.
Welcoming each new business to town personally, will also be part of the plan, he said. Rachford, council members Joe Anderson and Barbara Weber, and Police Chief Mike Ward already visited with the manager of the new Tuesday Morning store after it opened.
Rachford said he's also planned a special twist to this year's swearing-in ceremony at the Jan. 6 council meeting. While City Attorney Mike Duncan will swear in the members of council, Rachford said his church's pastor, Main Street Baptist Church Pastor Bob Franklin, will swear him into office.
Council member Dave Hart, who was re-elected, said he's already talked with Rachford about the mayor-elect's interested in seeing what the street issues and needs are for the coming years. Hart is chair of the council public works committee.
"I want to continue seeing that we get our money's worth, and I believe that our public works department gives us that year in and year out," Hart said of his plans for 2011.
Council member Barbara Weber said she will make a motion to restart the city's beautification commission. Weber said Rachford has already expressed support to her for the idea of continuing the beautification committee, which in the past had planted and maintained flower gardens along Washington Street.
Weber said Rachford's election will bring more openness to city government, which she is also for.
"We're looking forward to a change in leadership if you will," Weber said.
