Three Ashland officials will not be seeking reelection this year. Mayor Gene Rhorer, Ward One Alderman Danny Clay, and Ward Two Alderman Jesse Bronson will all be permanently leaving their positions following the end of their terms.

Rhorer has been the Mayor of Ashland for seven years. He has also spent three years with Planning and Zoning, three years on the Park Board, five years with REDI, five years with SBECD, has been a chamber member, and was on the RPC board of directors for four years. Between all the boards, commissions and positions he served in, Rhorer has served as an elected and volunteer official for the City of Ashland for some 14 years. 

In his years of work for the city, he worked on many projects and collaborated with multiple organizations and city departments to accomplish goals. To name some, Rhorer worked with developers to bring several developments in, such as the Baptist Home and the Potterfield Development. He also worked with housing developers like Keith Winscott, Martin Builders, Cory Meyers, and more, helping to bring over 1500 homes to the area. He worked to add the new and current YMCA to Ashland, helped to balance the city budget during his time as mayor, and pushed to strengthen and implement additional guidelines to maintain Ashland’s streets. 

Rhorer’s proudest accomplishment was his ability to obtain grants for the new sidewalks through the Ash St., South Main, and Middle School Areas. His biggest regret is that he will not be in office to see some of the projects he worked on come to completion. About his time serving Ashland, Rhorer said, “It has been my complete privilege to represent the folks of Ashland and the surrounding area.” Rhorer plans on spending the next chapter of his life with his family and fishing. Additional, he also hopes to continue to provide Southern Boone County with its long-time publication, The Boone County Journal.

Clay held his position of Ward One Alderman for four years, or two terms. During that time, he has helped nurture commercial and residential development within the city. With his support, projects such as Cartwright Park, the Ashland Baptist Home, Ashland Commons, and commercial development at Liberty and Main St. have all been made possible. Through his support for residential development, Ashland grew an estimated 100 homes a year over the last four years and is estimated to have another 200 by the end of 2021. He also passed the 2012 International Building code. 

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~

By Alex Naughton