Parrott, Choate advance in Mayfield Mayor race
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
MAYFIELD, Ky. (KBSI) — Mayfield voters narrowed the city’s mayoral race to two candidates Tuesday night as residents continue looking toward the community’s future nearly five years after the deadly December 2021 tornado.
City Councilman Derrick Parrott and civil engineer Tim Choate received the most votes in the primary election and now move on to November’s general election.
Parrott finished first with about 40% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Choate, who received about 35%. Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Kathy O’Nan, who helped lead much of the city’s tornado recovery efforts, finished third.
As rebuilding projects continue across Mayfield, many residents FOX23 spoke with said they are now focusing on what the city could look like long after recovery efforts are complete.
Parrott, a lifelong Mayfield resident and current four-term city councilman, centered much of his campaign on community development, youth opportunities and restoring pride across the city.
“I think people just want to be valued, respected,” Parrott said. “They want to make sure they have a voice. And I think they want transparency.”
Additionally, Parrott said investing in younger generations remains one of his top priorities. He emphasized creating opportunities that encourage students and families to stay in Mayfield after graduation.
“Making a priority to make sure our youth have opportunities from education to industry, making sure we build our workforce with our youth that are right here in our community,” Parrott said.
Parrott also said younger residents should play a role in shaping the city’s future.
“If we’re building for the next 50 years, we need input from them,” Parrott said. “We want to know what they would like to see.”
Meanwhile, Choate has positioned himself as the “change candidate” in the race while focusing heavily on business development and infrastructure improvements.
“We just haven’t been very successful in bringing in businesses,” Choate said. “So that’s been the pillar of my campaign — to develop the seventh and eighth street corridor.”
Choate also pointed to his decades of experience as a civil engineer as a reason he believes he can help guide Mayfield’s continued development.
“I’ve been a civil engineer for 40 years,” Choate said. “I’m very familiar with infrastructure and how you get things done.”
As the race moves toward November, voters will likely continue focusing on recovery efforts, economic growth and Mayfield’s long-term future.
