Moving to a new form of government

Covington voters on Nov. 5, 2024, approved a petition that would change Covington’s form of local government from the City Manager form to the Mayor-Council form, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

(To learn more, visit the Kentucky League of Cities “Form of Government” webpage.)

Transition Committee

To guide the City’s transition, the Covington Board of Commissioners on Dec. 3, 2024, passed Commissioners Order 278-24, which laid out the duties and responsibilities of a newly created Committee on Form of Government Transition. The Committee’s role is to make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners for approval.

 

Members: On Jan. 20, 2025, the Commission named the nine voting members and seven non-voting or ex-officio members.

The voting members, with their neighborhoods, are:

  • (Chair) Mayor Ron Washington, of Lewisburg.
  • Michael Beeby, of Licking Riverside.
  • Billie Mocabee-Kegley, of West Latonia.
  • Angie Taylor, of Latonia-Rosedale.
  • Lisa Desmarais, of Licking Riverside.
  • Ginger Dawson, of Old Town/Mutter Gottes.
  • Fritz Kuhlman, of Westside.
  • David Davidson, of Licking Riverside.
  • Ella Frye, of Wallace Woods.

The ex-officio members are:

  • City Commissioner/Mayor Pro Tem Shannon C. Smith, of Old Town/Mutter Gottes.
  • City Commissioner Tim Downing, of South Covington.
  • City Commissioner Tim Acri, of Seminary Square.
  • City Commissioner James Toebbe, of Latonia-Rosedale.
  • City Manager Ken Smith, City Solicitor Frank Schultz, and City Clerk Susan Ellis.

Appointed as the Committee’s administrator is:

  • The City’s Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel, Sebastian Torres.

 

Meetings: The Committee began meeting Jan. 29 and set up a meeting schedule, which with a few exceptions will generally be on the fourth Thursday of each month, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 20 West Pike St. All meetings are open to the public.

2025 Meeting Schedule

  • February 27, 2025
  • March 27, 2025
  • April 24, 2025
  • May 22, 2025
  • June 26, 2025
  • July 24, 2025
  • August 28, 2025
  • September 25, 2025
  • October 23, 2025
  • November 13, 2025
  • December 11, 2025

2026 Meeting Schedule

  • January 22, 2026
  • February 26, 2026
  • March 26, 2026
  • April 23, 2026

Public Input

At its second meeting on Feb. 27, the Committee laid out a plan to obtain public input via an online survey and two community forums on key questions related to the new version of its elected body, the “City Council.”

Specifically, the Committee is asking:

  • How many seats the Council should have (with state law allowing between 6 and 12).
  • Whether councilmembers should be elected at large (a la citywide) or by district or ward (with each person elected from a specific geographic area of Covington).

The survey ended on March 24th. 

The two forums will each start at 6 p.m.:

  • March 13 (Thursday), City Hall, 20 West Pike St.
  • March 26 (Wednesday), American Legion Post 203, 3801 Winston Ave., Latonia.

 

Timeline

  • June 30, 2025: Deadline for Committee’s initial progress report.
  • Oct. 17, 2025: Deadline for recommendations related to the new City Council.
  • May 1, 2026: Comprehensive final report due to the Board of Commissioners.