HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – As the City Administrative Officer for Hopkinsville, Troy Body has been integral in decisions that benefit the city, working behind the scenes alongside local administrations for several years. Day to day, he is fueled by his passion for community to assist in moving the city towards its full potential.
“I love cities. I love the complexity of city’s big and small, I love seeing how they work,” Body told Christian County Now. “I’ve spent a lot of time travelling around the world doing different work, and it’s a passion of mine to just land in a city and go walk around and see how things work and how they don’t work.”
Body was hired in his position under Mayor Carter Hendricks and continues under current Mayor J.R. Knight. Put simply, the role of the city administrator is to implement the decisions of the city council, and to enact the vision of the sitting mayor. This role demands never-ending flexibility, having to adhere to different goals and policies while keeping the city’s best interest at heart.
Professional inspiration
“Coming from a small town surrounded by all of these tall mountains, it was very beautiful, but it made me terribly curious,” said Body. It was his small-town upbringing in eastern Kentucky that initially inspired him to eventually travel the world and make the decision to work in government. From Asia to Sudan, before landing in Hopkinsville he had already gained a lifetime of lived experiences through his work.
Due to his initial focus on journalism in college, his first job landed him at ABC News in Washington. He reflected that this time at the news station opened his eyes to the commotion and teamwork that can go on behind the scenes before a broadcast. After that he went on to pursue his master’s degree in urban, state, and local government which further fueled his curiosity by connecting him with cities across the world.
“What I’ve really learned out of all of the countries I’ve been to is that most people wake up with the same hopes, and they’ve got the same struggles,” said Body. “Most people everywhere I’ve lived have the same fears and aspirations, they just go about them differently.”
Hopkinsville’s biggest needs
While each incoming mayor has had their own campaign and goals to build off of, Body shared with Christian County Now that he believes vacant lots and abandoned structures have remained Hopkinsville’s biggest hurdle. He explained that the city rivals Louisville in vacant lot numbers.
“In Hopkinsville we’ve got a serious issue, I’m not going to sugar coat it. We’ve got to address it head on and be honest about it, and serious about it if we are going to turn it around,” he said. “You can’t have 1,000 vacant lots in a town this size; it’s holding us back in a way you can’t imagine.”
Behind his desk in the Hopkinsville Municipal Building are large scale maps that plot out vacant lots in the city, a daily reminder of his goal in combating the issue. He believes that continuing to focus on tearing down abandoned structures and filling vacant lots with affordable housing options will both improve quality of life and boost community pride. This is something that he says will not be solved overnight but will instead take a lot of investment and sheer willpower.
The work never ends as Body continues to keep his head down and do the work that is best for the city. When asked if he intends to ever put himself into the spotlight, he laughed and emphasized how proud he is of the work he and his co-workers are accomplishing in Hopkinsville.
“I’m very thankful for this position and I’m fascinated with making things work,” said Body. “I want to absolutely be the best I can be.”
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