Why I am running for Covington City Council

Why am I running for Covington City Council? Because I love this City. I believe I have the experience and skill set needed to help the city continue its growth and renewal.

I love our City’s history, architecture, people, walkability, neighborhoods, churches, parks, restaurants, arts and culture, quirks, and grit.

I grew up on Glenn Avenue in Latonia and I’ve lived in several other Covington neighborhoods: Wallace Woods when I was a reporter at The Kentucky Post, Old Seminary Square when I attended law school and worked as a young lawyer, and now, as an empty nester with my wife, Barb, in an 1880s house we rehabbed in the Historic Licking Riverside District.

Business and political ties to Covington

My family’s roots and connections to Covington run deep. My grandparents owned Schmidt-Beuttel Bakery – “Quality Bakers & Noodle Makers” — at 253 Pike Street from the late 1800s through the 1930s. The bakery was located on the first floor of this building, and my grandparents lived in one of the apartments above the bakery, where my mother was born in 1922. This brick building is still standing at the corner of Pike and Lee Streets.

Family members also operated a tavern at 26 E. 5^th Street in a building that has since been razed. Other Beuttel family members ran plumbing and insurance businesses in Covington, which were also located on Pike Street.

My maternal grandmother’s brother, William Beuttel Jr., served as a Covington city commissioner during the 1930s and then as Covington’s mayor from 1940 through 1943. I had the honor of serving as Covington’s first full-time City Solicitor from 2001 to 2005 and as its City Manager from 2005 to 2009.

I worked in Covington as a young lawyer with the law firm of Strauss & Troy, an early tenant in the first Rivercenter tower, and then started my own law firm, Fossett & Ogle, in a law office building at 214 E. 4^th Street. In the 2010s, I operated a PR and government relations business in Covington, with my good friend, the late, great Pat Crowley, a former reporter with the Cincinnati Enquirer, on the fourth floor of the Republic Bank Building on Madison Avenue at 6^th Street.

For the past seven years, I have served on the board of the Covington Business Council and was honored to serve as Board Chairman from 2022 to 2024

Leadership touchstones: Honesty and kindness

While serving as the City Manager of Covington, I returned to college to get a master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change from Northern Kentucky University. I believe that my educational background, my experience as a municipal lawyer, owning and operating a private business in Covington, and my work as a city manager in two different forms of government – the City Manager form of government in Covington and the City Council form of government in Dayton – make me uniquely qualified to serve as a member of the Covington City Council.

One of the key strengths of our city is its diversity and inclusion, which I believe is especially important during these divisive times. The election for the Covington City Council is a nonpartisan race, which is fine by me because I have been a registered Independent for more than 20 years. I’m fiercely independent, I don’t like being labeled, and don’t like having a political party — or any other person or organization — tell me what to think.

While I have many Democratic and Republican friends and family members, and listen to their points of view (but not always agreeing with them!), their thoughts help me shape my own viewpoints. If elected to the Covington City Council, my allegiance will always be to the citizens of Covington, not a particular political party or ideology.

At the heart of my value system and my leadership style are two core concepts: honesty and kindness. I believe that these traits form the essence of what it takes to be a great leader. These attributes are what make a great teacher/coach, parent, or elected official — someone who is caring, engaged, and makes you and/or your organization better.

But please don’t confuse kindness with politeness. Being polite is withholding criticism to make people feel good. Being kind is being candid about how you truly feel, and in doing so, helping someone or something become better than they were. While some people may feel a tension between being honest and loyal, in my mind, honesty — telling people what you truly believe, in a considerate, thoughtful way — is the highest expression of loyalty.

Bullish about Covington’s future

I am extremely bullish about Covington’s future, just as I was when I was Covington City Manager from 2005 to 2009. I am extremely proud of the team we assembled to run the City back then. We changed the City’s culture and laid the groundwork for much of the success the City has enjoyed over the past 20 years. But much work remains, and that’s why I’m interested in pursuing a new role in the City as a member of its Board of Council.

As a candidate for City Council, I don’t see myself competing against other candidates, but rather running on my experience, expertise, and record. In fact, I have deep respect for the sitting Mayor and City Commissioners, and I would be excited to work alongside every one of them. And that could happen because under Covington’s new form of government, which goes into effect on January 1, 2027, when the number of members of the City’s legislative body will increase from four to six.

To read more about my vision for Covington, click on Jay’s Vision. For these and many other reasons, I would appreciate your vote for the Covington City Council.