KENTUCKY — On this week's "In Focus Kentucky" program, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck is one of our featured guests.

Keck was reelected to a second term as mayor in Nov. 2022. He was also a Republican primary candidate running for Kentucky governor in 2023.

During this segment, Keck looked ahead to 2025 and shared some of his top priorities he hopes to tackle in the new year for his community.

"We're really excited," he said. We just launched what's called 'Somerset 2050,' and it's a comprehensive plan, very literally, but a 25-year roadmap for our community. We've been blessed for some unprecedented growth in the last five or six years; we want to make sure that momentum continues. So often elected officials focus on themselves, their own goals or maybe their own tenure."

"We wanted this roadmap to last far beyond my administration, so we're really excited about that. We'll vote on that in January. But we're also focused on continuing the record tourism we've had. We've broken record after record after record on tourism. We're adding a sports tourism component of that. We've got a multi-million-dollar innovation of a youth sports facility, which we're excited about. And then, as we talked earlier, the bourbon distillery that has been often talked about is under construction, so we're really excited about becoming the southern anchor of the Bourbon Trail." 

Keck's name has also been floated by some political observers as a potential candidate to seek higher office representing the commonwealth in our nation's capital, as part of Kentucky's federal delegation in Congress. 

"I still want to see more pro-family policy," Keck said. "I still want to talk about sort of this resurgence of heartland communities across our country and how we can rebuild America from the heartland. Me particularly, I'm going to find ways to serve, whether that's in the private sector and enjoying my girls a little bit more or whether that's in higher office."

"I'm excited about the future. I'm flattered when folks ask because I think it means that we're doing a good job in Somerset and they're taking notice, but specific plans I haven't pinned down just yet.' 

When asked if he had any specific interest in running to represent the people of southern and eastern Kentucky, the state's 5th Congressional District and seat currently held since 1981 by Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, Keck responded with, "The dean, as we do call him, or back home, we can say Hal, has done tremendous work. I had an opportunity to spend some time with him and (wife) Cynthia just recently at a fundraising gala for the arts, and he's just a giant in our area."

"I never really had a lot of interest in Washington until recently because a lot of the issues that I think Kentucky needs are going to take some federal action, sliding scale, benefit reform, to take care of the working poor, instead of paying those unwilling to work. That came out of the 'Keck game plan,' but that would take some federal help. So it is something I'll consider, but right now we want to focus on Somerset, continue to do a great job. And I think if you do a good job in the job you're in, you'll be considered for the next one." 

You can watch the full 'In Focus Kentucky' segment in the player above.