Green Umbrella Hosts Public Forum for NKY County Commissioner Candidates

September 9, 2026 – Green Umbrella is holding a public forum for Northern Kentucky county commissioner candidates on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 pm at the Erlanger Branch of the Kenton County Library.

The County Commissioner Forum will focus on the candidates’ plans for balancing economic development, green infrastructure implementation, and greenspace preservation. Questions will pertain to data centers, eminent domain, connectivity and public transit, agricultural land use, and the role of county commissioners in local appointments. The public can submit questions for the candidates in advance at the link here by September 15.

All candidates running for county commissioner positions in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties have been invited to attend. The candidates who have confirmed their attendance are Lianna Nguyen and John Schickel for Boone County; Tom Lampe and Brant Owens for Campbell County; and Benjamin Bach, Jordan Baldridge, and Sarah Froelich for Kenton County.

Like many locally elected officials, county commissioners play an important (and often unrecognized) role in the daily lives of residents. Although national elections garner more media headline space, elections for locally-serving positions often have a bigger (and faster) impact on how our neighborhoods function and develop. 

County commissioners are great examples of elected officials that have highly local impacts. They oversee the county’s operations and act as key policymakers, supervising departments, managing finances, and participating in long-range planning. Their work addresses services like zoning, maintenance, waste collection, and public utilities. 

This event is co-hosted by Ohio River Way, Tri-State Trails, The Hillside Trust, Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance (CORA), and the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. This forum is a follow-up to the forum in April of 2026 for the primary elections.