Mayfield will be choosing a new mayor this November.
Tim Choate, a civil engineer, and Derrick Parrott, a current city council member, were the top two vote-getters in May’s primary election over the far western Kentucky city’s current mayor Kathy O’Nan.
Choate and Parrott each submitted written responses to WKMS’s Voter Guide questions. Their responses are listed below in the order the candidates will appear on the ballot. Mayfield and Graves County voters can see other races that will be decided in November’s election either on the county’s sample ballot or with WKMS’s ballot lookup tool.
Tim Choate
Editor’s note: Choate submitted written responses to WKMS’s voter guide questions. His answers have been edited for clarity.
Q: What should voters know about you and why are you running for office?
A: I am a civil engineer by training and a lifelong Mayfield resident of 40+ years. I have over 45 years of experience designing and constructing infrastructure and have the experience to rebuild Mayfield.
Q: What would your priorities be, if elected?
A: Rebuild the 7th and 8th street corridor in downtown.
Q: What do you see as the signature issue in your city over the next four years?
A: Jobs and economic growth within the city limits of Mayfield – it all begins with a strong and growing community.
Q: How would you work to improve the quality of life for city residents?
A: I have put my main priority in building a youth center downtown near the corridor as a hub to spur activity and grow downtown.
Q: What needs to change in your local city government and why should people vote you into office to do that?
A: We have to be proactive and use our bonding capacity to spur the rebuild initiatives and support public-private partnerships. I will pursue grants but am realistic in the fact that Mayfield has to step up and help ourselves and quit thinking someone is going to bail us out overnight.
Derrick Parrott
Editor’s note: Parrott submitted written responses to WKMS’s Voter Guide questions. His answers have been edited for clarity.
Q: What should voters know about you and why are you running for office?
A: I’m a lifelong Mayfield resident. This community raised me, educated me, and gave me opportunities that helped shape the person I am today. After college, I made the decision to come back home, and I’ve spent much of my adult life serving this community in one capacity or another.
I’ve served four terms on the Mayfield City Council. I work with our students and families through Mayfield Independent Schools as the School/Home/Community Liaison for the entire district and I’ve been involved with numerous organizations and initiatives throughout our community. Those experiences have allowed me to see Mayfield from various different perspectives.
I’m running for mayor because I believe Mayfield is at an important point in its history. We’ve spent the last several years rebuilding, but now we also have to be intentional about what comes next. I want to help position Mayfield for long-term growth while making sure the people who already call Mayfield home have opportunities to grow with it.
For me, this isn’t about getting a title. It’s about continuing the work I have been doing to serve Mayfield and help move our community forward.
Q: What would your priorities be, if elected?
A: My priorities really fall into three areas: economic development, youth development, and community building as we restore pride in our community.
With economic development, I want Mayfield to be a place where existing businesses can grow and new businesses want to invest. That means looking at our processes, infrastructure, workforce, housing and the overall environment we create for development.
Youth development is equally important to me because our young people are Mayfield’s future. I want to foster stronger connections between our schools, local businesses, industries and community organizations so our youth can see pathways to career opportunities right here at home.
Community building is vital in order to move Mayfield forward. In order to do so, we must be mindful of our neighborhoods, housing, parks, public spaces and the overall appearance and feel of our city. Economic development matters, but quality of life matters too. We have to work on both.
Q: What do you see as the signature issue in your city over the next four years?
A: I think the signature issue is going to be what Mayfield does with this next chapter.
The tornado changed our community forever, and rebuilding will continue to be part of our story. But over the next four years, I believe the conversation has to expand from recovery to long-term growth.
How do we attract investment? How do we increase housing? How do we strengthen our workforce? How do we create opportunities that encourage young people to stay here or come back home? How do we make sure our neighborhoods and quality of life improve alongside economic growth? The biggest challenge and opportunity is making sure Mayfield isn't simply rebuilt, but positioned to be stronger for the next generation.
Q: How would you work to improve the quality of life for city residents?
A: I think quality of life starts with listening to people and paying attention to the things they experience every day.
Residents want safe neighborhoods. They want clean streets and public spaces. They want good parks and recreational opportunities. They want housing options, businesses, restaurants and things for families and young people to do. They want to feel proud of the community they call home.
The government can't accomplish all of that by itself. I believe the mayor has to be a connector bringing together city government, the county, our schools, businesses, nonprofits, churches and residents.
I also think we have to pay attention to every part of Mayfield. Progress shouldn't be something that residents only see in one area of town. People should be able to see and feel improvement in their own neighborhoods.
Q: What needs to change in your local city government, and why should people vote you into office to do that?
A: I think the biggest opportunity is creating a city government that is even more intentional about communication, collaboration and planning for the future.
Residents should understand what their city is working on, where projects stand and where we're trying to go. Businesses and developers should understand our processes. Our city government should be actively building relationships at the county, regional and state levels that can create opportunities for Mayfield.
I've spent years working in environments where relationships matter. Whether it's city government, education, youth programs or community organizations, I've learned that progress usually happens when you get people around the table, listen, build relationships and then follow through.
The leadership approach that I would bring to the mayor's office: be accessible, be prepared, communicate, build partnerships and hold ourselves accountable for getting things done.
Ultimately, voters will decide who they believe is best prepared to lead Mayfield through this next chapter. What I can tell them is that my commitment to Mayfield didn't begin when I decided to run for mayor. I've been doing this work for years, and I'm ready to continue serving this community in a new capacity.
