New Covington Mayor Ron Washington is administered the oath of office by Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Michelle Keller, a Kenton County resident, as Washington’s wife, Angela, watches at left. The Bible used in the ceremony was supplied by Covington Professional Firefighters Local 38. (Photo by Sam Greenhill)
Speech at swearing-in ceremony lays out vision, philosophy
COVINGTON, Ky. – New Covington Mayor Ron Washington’s priorities include more housing for people of all income levels and a joint recreation commission with schools that will create more activities and programs for youth.
His philosophy includes a door and a mentality open to stronger collaboration at all levels.
And his goal is to look for ways to spread Covington’s vibrant momentum to the furthest corners of the city.
“Covington is a city of hope, of resilience and of strength,” Washington said at the recent swearing-in ceremony for the city’s new Board of Commissioners. “But not everyone is feeling the joy of that momentum. The benefit of (newly created) jobs and that energy has yet to make its way to all our neighborhoods and our families. Believe me, I see that.”
TBNK was on hand to film the ceremony, which took place Jan. 3 at The Carnegie art and cultural center and was open to the public. The entire video is now available and can be seen at Covington Inauguration. Mayor Washington’s remarks begin at 16:42.
In his remarks, he talked about his background growing up in Covington, his career in law enforcement, what it means to be the first person who is African-American elected as mayor in any of Kentucky’s largest five cities, Covington’s evolution, and his vision for the City, its economy, and its residents. He also praised the work of many elected leaders who came before him, including his most immediate predecessor as mayor, Joe Meyer, who Washington credited for much of Covington’s progress and for encouraging him to run for office for the first time in 2020.
And the new mayor made clear that Covington will continue to partner with leaders at all levels, from Kentucky’s federal delegation to Gov. Andy Beshear to state legislators like Sen. Chris McDaniel and Rep. Stephanie Dietz to Kenton County Judge-Executive Kris Knochelmann and other county officials to mayors in other cities, not to mention business groups, regional growth agencies, civic organizations, government agencies, and faith, school and social service organizations.
“Collaboration is key, and by working together on projects from the very beginning we can achieve even greater results,” Washington said. “We want you to be involved in our city, but we need you to understand our values. We will fight hard for our city, and we want you right beside us.”
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