CONVERSATION WITH BUZ SMITH

IF YOU ARE RE-ELECTED CITY COMMISSIONER, WHAT WILL BE SOME OF YOUR PRIORITIES?

In my service as your city commissioner, I have been heavily involved in the development and implementation of the Commission Priorities. Each year the Board of Commissioners take input from the community and the City’s Executive Leadership Team to create a list of priorities – this is the vision for the community. Below are priorities I am passionate about. You can find all the priorities BY CLICKING HERE.

• New Housing and Revitalized Neighborhoods – Revitalization and improvements to the Southside are already in progress. During my earlier terms on the commission, we accomplished the Lower Town and Fountain Avenue revitalizations. We can do this again for the Southside and other neighborhoods. The Katterjohn building which was long an eyesore for the neighborhood, has been demolished and that acreage is devoted to new residential construction that will enhance the neighborhood. 

If we are to continue city growth, we have got to address the housing shortage. We especially need to focus on the housing needs of young people that are starting off as well as people that want new housing stock. This includes smaller homes, patio homes, zero lot line homes and condos. This initiative supports economic development efforts because we need desirable housing to support the location of industry into the Paducah area.  Additionally, I believe increased housing stock will help relieve pressure on housing costs.

We have hired a new planning director and are working on getting sufficient staff and talent into the department to support this effort. While the results look good so far there is so much more potential for the city, and I am pushing hard for more to get done.

• Paducah McCracken County Sports Complex – In July 2024 we celebrated the groundbreaking of this state-of-the-art sports facility. This 65-million-dollar project will be an economic driver attracting thousands of visitors every year to Paducah. It sends a strong positive message to our youth and families that we value family activities and we have made the investment to attract youth back to Paducah to live and raise their families. All this will be done while honoring the city’s history and legacy of Dr. Stuart Nelson. Once this park is established hotel tax should be adequate to maintain it. Once completed, the park is projected to generate $155 million in direct economic impact in its first five years.
•  Stormwater – Stormwater management is a great need for Paducah, and I have supported doing it on a project-by-project basis. I supported and we have completed the Buckner Lane Bridge replacement. This new bridge allows more water to flow and avoids flooding that has been a problem in that area for decades. We are currently working off S. 25th street to improve water flow in flood events. 
• Re-evaluate City Owned Facilities – I am a big believer in running the city like a business and a big factor in that success is being fiscally responsible. The city owns and manages a lot of facilities. Some of the facilities that the city operates from are not efficient or economical but that is changing. Recently the Cherry Civic Center was completely remodeled to make better use of the space, it is now a facility Paducah can be proud of. I have promoted a review of all city owned facilities and supported the creation of a fund for ongoing upgrades and maintenance of our core facilities If the city has facilities we no longer need, we should question why we should continue to own them.. We need to continue focusing on having functional and efficient facilities that will last us for the long term instead of continually patching substandard facilities.
• Trails and Bike Lanes – We have had three meetings with residents to gather input on potential routes for expanding our bike trails and lanes. I have enjoyed listening to their ideas and look forward to getting them implemented as the project progresses.
• Minority Inclusion – The city’s workforce should mirror our community. There is renewed focus on this with training, and the creation of a diversity inclusion statement. We have employed a diversity specialist and citywide training of department heads has been conducted.

If you have any additional questions that you would like to ask me, feel free to call 270-994-3873 or email me at VoteforBuz@gmail.com. I look forward to serving the residents of Paducah! Thank you in advance for your support.