By MICHAEL J. COLLINS, Bowling Green Daily News

Former State Rep. Patti Minter will challenge incumbent Todd Alcott for Bowling Green mayor come Nov. 5.

Minter filed for candidacy Thursday and told the Daily News she hopes to lead a “people-powered campaign” as she did in her 2018 run for representative.

“Bowling Green deserves leaders who lift people up instead of waiting people out,” Minter said. “That’s what I did as state representative for four years, that’s what I would do as the next mayor of Bowling Green, and that’s why I’m running for mayor.”

Minter, a history professor at Western Kentucky University, defeated Republican Ben Lawson in 2018 as a Democrat to represent Bowling Green’s 20th District and won reelection in 2020. She was unseated in 2022 by current State Rep. Kevin Jackson, R-Bowling Green, after the district was split by the General Assembly.

The mayoral race is non-partisan.

Minter said she will focus on affordable housing, improved infrastructure and the passage of a Fairness Ordinance, adding that more policies are forthcoming.

Bowling Green’s “tremendous growth” will drastically change the city over the next 25 to 50 years, Minter said, and she hopes to guide that growth toward an equitable future.

She added that her “longtime relationship” with Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Lindy Casebier will help further develop Bowling Green’s tourism opportunities.

“I’ll continue my work with Gov. Beshear to bring resources to Bowling Green for continued tornado recovery, for infrastructure, to create more affordable housing for Kentuckians and to alleviate the pressure on people at a variety of income levels,” Minter said.

She added that Bowling Green is the largest city in the state without a Fairness Ordinance. Places like Henderson, Paducah, Maysville, Augusta and Woodford County have all passed measures since 1999, Minter said, despite being much smaller than Bowling Green.

She has already been endorsed by two former mayors – Patsy Sloan, the first woman to serve as mayor of Bowling Green, and Elaine Walker, according to her press release.

Alcott told the Daily News he wished Patti a “good campaign” and said it’s positive news to see others in the community looking to serve.

“We live in a great community and serve so we can have a continued democracy,” Alcott said. “I look forward to the debate that we might have in the future. I’ll try to get people to rally around me obviously, but regardless, I will support the campaign results no matter what.”

He added that Minter is a “formidable” candidate, evidenced by her twice successful state representative run, and said he looks forward to the “good debate” her campaign will bring to the city.

“I’m going to run for Todd Alcott and what I can do and not run a negative campaign,” Alcott said.

{div class=”asset-tagline text-muted”}Follow education reporter and Report for America corps member Michael J. Collins on X.com @MJCollinsNews or visit bgdailynews.com{/div}