Editor's Note: In the orignial version of this story candidate Tom Morris was misidentified as Tom Morrison. The error was corrected immedately. We apologize for the inconvenience.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — For the first time in almost a decade, the city of Bowling Green will appoint a new mayor. Mayor Bruce Wilkerson announced that he would not run for reelection to focus on his health. No longer running for reelection, leaves the ballot bearing only one name, Republican candidate, Todd Alcott. However, Alcott is not the only candidate in the race.
Bowling Green has two write-in candidates for the mayoral seat, Tom Morris and Christopher Page. Both candidates are running as Democrats and while they agree on a majority of issues, they do have differences.
Tom Morris never planned on running for Mayor but was nominated by friends as a write-in candidate, with the idea that he could bring something different to the table and bring Bowling Green into the future. Calling himself as an environmentalist, climate change is at the top of his list. Morris is an entrepreneur in the technology and real estate field, utilizing clean energy at his local IT firm. Unlike other cities, Bowling Green has not yet devised a plan to utilize clean energy for city buildings and properties. Morris brought his concerns to the city commission, but after nothing got done, it pushed him to run a campaign that would focus on the future air, water, and energy supply.
If elected, he hopes to create a plan that would allow for Bowling Green to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. Along with renewable energy, he would also like to appoint a citizens committee to bring recycling back to Bowling Green. Ending curbside pickup back in March, Southern Recycling ended its 25-year contract with the city after losing thousands of dollars on the program. Morris says the city should look at surrounding areas to come up with a holistic plan to help the planet.
“I know there are a lot of citizens here that are concerned about it, I would like to convene a citizens committee to look at what’s being done. For example, Nashville, what’s being done in Lexington, what’s being done in Louisville, why can they recycle and we can’t?,” says Morris. The Democratic write-in also has firm beliefs in affordable housing, broadband internet access, and city accessibility for small businesses.
Chris Page, announced his candidacy for mayor just this past Tuesday. He said after seeing his options for Mayor and looking at the world around him, he felt it was his responsibility to bring something different to the people of Bowling Green. With protests for Breonna Taylor taking place daily, just a few hours away in Louisville, Page says racial unity is at the top of his agenda. Owning Shake Rag Barbershop, in the heart of the Shake Rag Historic District, he has always been vocal surrounding social justice issues. A small business owner, he has served on the Equal Employment Policies Committee and has worked closely with the Housing Authority and both the city and university police departments.
Page would be the city's first African American mayor to be elected and feels as racial tensions continue to rise, it is important to come together to try to understand one another while also keeping each other accountable. He plans to host an event with both the Bowling Green Police Department and Western Kentucky University Police Department, to help create solutions that would make Bowling Green a better place. “We want to talk about enforcement, we want to talk about enrollment, but we also want to talk about improvement. Not improvement with an I but improvement with an 'E' for everybody. Everybody needs to improve and everybody needs to do their part. We can’t blame the police officers, we’ve had a spat of violence here lately with gun violence. Young men getting killed. People know what’s going on, they’re not saying nothing. We need to have improvement not only from the police but the people as well,” says Page.
Announcing his candidacy less than a week ago, he has utilized social media to get his name and message out to the people. He has expressed plans surrounding affordable housing, renewable energy, and a partnership to offer broadband internet to everyone in the city.
Both candidates have utilized platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok to get their messages out, unable to go door-to-door due to COVID-19. They hope everyone will come out to vote in November. Morris says he is running on a platform that is for everyone.
“We need to move to renewable energy, I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, we need to recover from the pandemic. Party doesn’t matter, we all need it. These are human issues, not party issues.”
Page says that he hopes to provide a place where everyone is represented and accounted for.
“Martin Luther King Jr. said if we don’t live together as brothers we will perish as fools. Mine is if we don’t live together as brothers and sisters then we will perish as fools. So I’m talking about racial unity. I understand that the protests are going around the country, we understand that Bowling Green has a multiplicity of nationalities and we’re going to need someone that’s going to represent all people regardless if they vote or not," says Page.
Both candidates expressed while being write-ins hasn't been easy, they hope to bring a change to the city they love.