Dear Editor:
I want to acknowledge something important that happened in our county recently. After more than a year of Henderson County residents attending public meetings, asking hard questions, and pushing for transparency, Pattern Energy (who previously acquired Cordelio) has ended its Rock Bluff wind and solar projects. I attended many of those meetings myself, to make sure I understood the concerns of our community firsthand. Whatever anyone’s view on renewable energy, this outcome reflected something important: When residents organize, show up, and speak plainly to their local government, their voice matters.
This week, planning commission staff presented a draft ordinance addressing height limits, setbacks, and sound standards for wind energy systems, with the next public hearing on this specific proposal set for September 16th.
That said, the underlying questions haven’t been fully answered. Our Henderson City-County Planning Commission still has a directive to write clear, lasting rules for wind and solar development, and I believe that the same standard of transparency and public input needs to extend to any future large-scale development proposal in our county. This isn’t hypothetical. Just this past week, federal and state officials announced a more than $100 billion AI data center campus planned for Paducah. Our neighboring Daviess County and other counties across Kentucky are already dealing with real fights over data center proposals. I’m glad to see our own planning commission has already begun proactive work on a data center ordinance here at home, and if elected judge-executive, I’m committed to making sure that work gets done right, so residents aren’t caught off guard the next time a company comes calling, and have the time and information needed to make their voices heard.
Henderson County has real strengths to build on. We have a history of city-county partnership that already works well in emergency management and in the way our local departments and first responders show up for each other. We have a community that shows up at planning commission meetings, at our schools, at our churches, and for our neighbors when it counts. We have small towns like Corydon and Robards with their own histories and identities, and a county seat that anchors us all. This is a strong foundation, and I want a county government that builds on it every day, not just when a single high-profile project puts us in the spotlight.
That’s the kind of county government I want to bring to this office, one that shows up. That means floating office hours throughout the year in our communities, from Robards and Cairo to Corydon and Spottsville, so our government is coming to you, not the other way around. It means keeping our budget lean and protecting the 50% insurance premium tax cut our residents will feel later this year, while making sure Henderson County has a strong, active voice in the I-69 bridge tolling discussions that will affect our workforce and commuters. It means supporting Henderson Economic Development as they market the 4 Star Industrial Park, while building upon their existing work to ensure we remain vigilant regarding sound and light pollution in our neighborhoods.
It also means investing in the maintenance and improvement of our parks and outdoor spaces for our families. And it means working directly with our volunteer fire department leadership to secure stable funding and the updated, reliable equipment they need to keep protecting us.
I bring direct, hands-on experience managing large-scale projects and substantial public budgets, the same skills this office demands every day. In the coming weeks, I look forward to sharing more with you about my full vision and priorities for Henderson County’s future. For now, I simply want to say this. I see you, I hear you, and I look forward to earning your trust and your vote this November.
Contact me with your concerns for our county at lesley@jenkinsmackey4ky.org or PO Box 12, Robards, KY 42452. I want to hear from you.
Les Jenkins-Mackey
Candidate for Henderson County Judge-Executive
Henderson
