HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Hopkinsville City Council selected Terry Meek to serve in the vacant Ward 8 seat after his son resigned from the position in March. A total of four applicants put their hat in the ring and were publicly interviewed ahead of the council’s vote during the April 7 meeting.
“It’s like Déjà vu,” Meek told Christian County Now immediately after the meeting adjourned. “I’m sitting in the seat that my son was in and it’s kind of mixed feelings because I’m going to miss him very much. But it’s kind of comforting to be here knowing he was here doing the same thing.”
Meek shared what led him to the decision to submit an application, saying that said his son, former Councilmember Seth Meek, received a job offer in Dallas, Texas and suggested that his dad goes for the vacant seat. He had previously served two years for Ward 8 in the term before his son, explaining that he did not seek reelection in order to make way for younger candidates.
“I just feel I have some unfinished business with city council since my son left the position,” said Meek during his introduction to the council. He along with Kathy Detraz, Steven Mitchell and Tiffany Pittman all answered a line of questioning from city administrator Troy Body prior to the vote. The council had also received their applications beforehand for review.
Applicants questioned by council
Each applicant had equal time an opportunity to speak and were prompted to share why they wanted to serve their ward, what their qualifying experience was, what they felt the role of a councilmember is, and how they would represent the community along with other questions.
Mitchell pitched his case from the perspective of a business owner, citing his experience on the factory floor and his 60 years in the city of Hopkinsville. He emphasized the importance of face-to-face communication with residents in the community and being a good neighbor and a voice for the ward.
Pittman was the only democratic candidate among the four and spoke about her passion for helping the community and her prior service on the city’s board of ethics and the Christian County Public Schools Board of Education. She told councilmembers that she feels she brings an alternate perspective to the position. She and Stephen Crisp are on the ballot for November for the Ward 8 seat.
Detraz said she felt the need to step up and submit an application for the seat after serving the community for over 30 years. She felt her professional experience and working in pharmacies taught her to manage million-dollar budgets, and she is comfortable in engaging with community members in all walks of life.
Meek shared that he previously served as a councilmember for Ward 8 and has worked as a pastor for over 40 years and spent over 30 years as an Army chaplain. He said during the interview that the role of a councilmember is to provide transparency about the inner workings of the government to the public.
Vote and swearing in
A total of four councilmembers were absent for the meeting and subsequent vote with Vance Smith, Amy Craig, Jason Bell and Chuck Crabtree not in attendance.
Each present councilmember and the mayor praised the courage and passion of each applicant before the vote. Although Councilmember Don Marsh proposed the possibility of having a private vote, each member had to publicly say the name of the candidate they were choosing immediately after the questioning.
Meek received six votes from Councilmembers Brandi Stallons, Travis Martin, Clayton Sumner, Brittanie Bogard, Michael Velez, and Elizabeth Draude. Councilmember Don Marsh voted for Mitchel.
After the vote, Meek was immediately sworn in by Mayor J.R. Knight and took the Ward 8 seat for the remainder of the meeting. He will hold the seat until January 2027 where it will be taken over by the winner of the November election.
| SUBMIT YOUR NEWS: Email news releases to news@christiancountynow.com