From staff reports

Jessamine County will have two choices for constable in the Nov. 6 election, John Bourne and Nicholas “Lucky” Baldwin.

Bourne is a democrat who attended the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University. He is employed at Don Franklin Auto Group and currently serves as constable. He was raised in a political family and his civic involvement includes being a mason.

Baldwin is a republican who is IFSAC certified and has his paramedic’s license. He is also skilled in numerous other areas with first responder certification such as rope, swiftwater, structural collapse and Hazmat tech. His professional background includes being a firefighter and paramedic. He has served as a firefighter for the Jessamine County Fire District since 2006 and currently holds the rank of captain. He is also employed with the Lexington Fire Department since 2012 where he is assigned to a paramedic/hazmat engine.

JJ: What will be your top priority if elected to office?

NB: My top priority if elected Constable would be to build a better working relationship between the Constables and the law enforcement offices of Jessamine County. Constable can be an asset to Jessamine County if all of us work together. I want to be a Constable the law enforcement officers can trust and use to help out the community. I have a professional and personal relationship with many of the law enforcement officers. I have work side by side with these officers for years as a firefighter. I already have that relationship with the officers. I want to build on that.

JJ: What makes you the best candidate for the job:

JB: I am dependable, dedicated and qualified.

NB: Skills and personality. During my time of service I have obtained many certifications in different first responder fields. The skill and experience I have gained over the years has helped me better serve our community. A personality to serve makes a difference, especially on what could be someone’s worst day ever, being someone that the citizens can talk to during times of emergencies or just everyday problems they have. Helping the community with skill sets and a serving personality is important to being a constable for Jessamine County.

JJ: What professional/political accomplishments are you most proud of in your life?

NB: I am most proud of the thousands of hours of training that I have done to obtain the knowledge and skills in so many different areas of my profession. Being certified in multiple areas allows me to better serve in many ways. It has made it possible to train and also respond to help in not only our community, but all over Kentucky with different teams. Teams like Bluegrass Emergency Response Team, Kentucky Large Animal Rescue, and Kentucky Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team with Kentucky Air National Guard training to rescue people from flooded areas using their helicopters.

JJ: What is the biggest challenge our community faces?

JB: Drugs.

NB: We have a great community here in Jessamine County. But we do have problems in certain areas that can be improved to make Jessamine County safer and even better of a community. Like a lot of places Jessamine County is no different to the drug problems. Drug addiction can be connected to many of the other problems and crimes we face. Theft, abuse, driving impaired and many other crimes can be linked many times to a drug addiction. Being able to have the connection to my neighbors in my district and all Jessamine county citizens helps.

JJ: How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?

JB: By asking them to report drug activity.

NB: As I stated, being able to be a link between my neighbors and the law enforcement offices can help get more information into the hands of those officers. Being seen and helping in our community helps the resident feel comfortable to talk and report what they see. Making it an easy decision to make a difference in their community. The stronger and more involved community you have, the better off all citizens.

JJ: If elected, what three steps would you take to put our city on a firmer financial footing?

NB: The constable office does not impact financial footing in normal ways. I do believe that they can make an impact though. The first area would be to serve papers for the same prices as the sheriff’s office does. I would make sure that every paper I did serve would have the court cost added to them as the sheriff’s office does following KRS law. Second is responding to none emergency situations for officers. This frees up officers to be able to respond to other emergences and situations. Third is helping on emergency calls that impact citizens.

JJ: Do you have any additional comments that you would like to include?

NB: The best and most important thing to me in life is my family. I have been married to my wife Bonnie for nine years. She has lived in Jessamine County all her life. We have three beautiful girls Grace, Leah and Bailey. I love serving Jessamine County. I believe the more I serve the better I can help make Jessamine County a safer better place to live. I want that for everyone, but most of all for my children. I have the support from many of our law enforcement officers here in Jessamine County to be your 6th District Constable.