This group photo of participants shows Acri at far left in the back row wearing a hat, and Toebbe standing next to Acri to the photographer’s right.

COVINGTON, Ky. -- Covington’s two newly elected Commissioners – Tim Acri and James Toebbe – recently attended 2½ days of training in Lexington for newly elected officials organized by the Kentucky League of Cities.

Both Commissioners called the sessions “informative and educational” and said they covered a wide variety of topics, from procedures and processes to ethical guidelines to roles and responsibilities to state laws to ongoing issues. The program also allowed them to network with other new officials from local governments across Kentucky.

Said Acri: “… the training was eye opening for me as it detailed many items that elected officials need to understand and will be faced with on a daily basis. From ABC laws to Open Records Requests to the details of how each type of City Government work, I walked out of there with a ton more information than when I arrived. … We also had quality time with lots of other elected officials where we were able to talk about positive internal and external issues as well as challenges that each of face every day.”

Said Toebbe: “The presentations from KLC were both informative and easy to follow, and the presenters made them enjoyable. I learned a lot about things like how to properly abstain from votes when you have a conflict of interest, taxes, and possible legislation in Frankfort that could impact cities like Covington. On top of that, it was a great chance to meet and connect with other elected officials from Northern Kentucky and across the state.”