Six vying for BG city commission

Published 3:52 pm Monday, October 19, 2026

Top row from left: Dana Beasley-Brown, Sue Parrigin, Carlos Bailey, Melinda Hill. Bottom row from left: Tom Morris, Don Langley
(SUBMITTED)

Combating data centers, continuing to support first responders and ongoing community initiatives are among the focuses for Bowling Green city commission candidates ahead of this November’s election.

All four current commissioners, Dana Beasley-Brown, Sue Parrigin, Carlos Bailey and Melinda Hill, are seeking reelection against two challengers in a race that in the recent past has drawn double-digit numbers of candidates. There is one write-in candidate.

Beasley-Brown was first elected in 2018 and works as a family resource coordinator at Bowling Green Junior High School. She was the top vote-getter in 2024, keeping her commission seat with 10,491 votes.

“I’m running for re-election because I love Bowling Green, and as more people choose our city to start their business and raise a family, it will be important that we invest our attention and resources in the right things,” she told the Daily News.

Voting to lower property taxes, working to open a joint police and fire training center and sponsoring a moratorium on data center developments are among Beasley-Brown’s proud points over the past term.

She said if reelected, she will focus on supporting small business growth, public safety and the ongoing Riverfront Park project.

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“If reelected, I will continue to lead with a clear vision and strategic plan for growth, focused on empowering neighborhoods and local businesses, investing in our city’s infrastructure and strengthening our economy by attracting great jobs that support families,” she said.

Parrigin, who has served as a commissioner since 2013, said she is running to continue work on ongoing efforts. This includes the Anchor Project, a large-scale reworking of the way those struggling from mental health and addiction crises are treated. Parrigin has chaired the committee behind the project.

Part of the Anchor Project includes a crisis intake center, which will provide treatment for all 10 counties in the Barren River Area Development District. It will be staffed by more than 80 employees and those in need will be able to access services at no cost.

“I want to see that all the way through,” she said. “That’s a real large goal.”

If reelected, Parrigin said she will focus on continuing work on Riverfront Park in downtown, along with supporting first responder agencies in town.

“We want to make sure that we we continue to do the the recruiting and and the retention efforts for public safety folks,” she said.

Carlos Bailey has served as a commissioner since 2020 and works as an attorney in Bowling Green. He told the Daily News via text that in his view, “there is still work to be done.”

“Affordable housing remains a priority, along with bringing good-paying jobs to our community and making sure our neighborhoods aren’t left behind,” he stated. “Most importantly, I believe public service starts with listening to the people you represent, even when you don’t always agree. That’s something I’ve tried to do throughout my time on the Commission, and it’s something I’ll continue to do.”

Melinda Hill was voted onto the commission in 2011 after winning a special election, serving through 2016 before returning in 2020. Like Parrigin, Hill is running to continue work on some ongoing projects.

Speaking on past accomplishments, Hill said she is proud of “everything that our commission has done,” saying it is reflective of a diverse community.

“I think we have a commission that works well together,” she said. ” I will continue to listen to all of the stakeholders in our community, and I’ll base all of my decisions on those stakeholders’ input, and I will base my decision on what is best for the community as a whole.”

She listed city work on stormwater mitigation infrastructure and Riverfront Park as areas she will focus on if reelected, and said supporting first responder needs are her “number-one priority.”

“If we can’t keep our citizens safe as a city government, what are we doing then,” she said. “I think those are critical for the safety of our community, of our citizens in it.”

Tom Morris is one of the three hopefuls vying for a commission seat. Morris has run for local office before, appearing as a write-in candidate for Bowling Green mayor in 2020. This is Morris’ first time running for commission.

For him, the city’s debate on data centers this summer was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Officials earlier this year voted to implement planning and zoning regulations that would govern any data centers looking to locate in Bowling Green or Warren County. On two occasions though, commissioners voted not to implement a six-month moratorium on data center developments, with Beasley-Brown and Bailey voting in favor of the moratorium, and Parrigin, Hill and Mayor Todd Alcott voting no.

“I felt like that this was a issue that the people needed to be heard on, and it wasn’t heard,” Morris said.

If elected, Morris said he would like to revisit data centers, exploring the city’s options now that regulations are in place. He said this may involve strengthening regulations or looking again at a moratorium.

The cost of housing would be another focus. Morris said he would work to ensure the city is taking advantage of new federal rules surrounding housing in the 21st Century ROAD To Housing Act if he wins a seat.

“I would want to make sure that we’re aggressively seeking to be leaders in taking advantage of that,” he said.

Don Langley is also running for a commission seat. Langley has run for commission before, most recently in 2022. He said he is running because he would “just like to express some ideas,” one of which would be implementing a model where city traffic lights on major roads stay green at night, with side streets staying red until a driver approaches.

“It gives the citizens a chance to save money on gas and spend less time at red lights,” he said.

Another focus would be on downtown parking. Langley’s solution to parking woes would be to remove parking restrictions on downtown roads, a move he said would allow for more parking areas and would cut down on speeding.

“Just get rid of the yellow lines, and then what that would do is free up about 200 more spaces in the downtown area,” he said. “Plus, you can have more traffic police in those areas to control any speeders or anything like that.”

Brian Fishback is also running for a commission seat as a write-in candidate, but did not respond to requests for comment.

Election day is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3 this year, and city commission races are nonpartisan. Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott was reelected in 2024 and will not appear on the ballot this fall.

About Jack Dobbs

Jack covers city government for the Daily News. Originally from Simpson County, he attended Western Kentucky University and graduated in 2022 with a degree in journalism.

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