Covington native Jay Fossett is a former City Manager and City Solicitor for the City of Covington who is currently serving as the City Administrator for the City of Dayton, Kentucky, a position from which he will retire in 2026.

About Jay

Fossett attended the University of Kentucky, where he studied journalism and political science. After graduating from UK in 1981, he worked as a newspaper reporter for five years before leaving journalism to attend law school.

Fossett is a 1987 graduate of Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Northern Kentucky Law Review, and a 2010 graduate of the Haile/U.S. Bank College of Business at NKU, where he obtained a master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change.

In 2023, Fossett and his wife, Barbara, returned to Covington as empty-nesters after rehabbing a 150-year-old house in the Historic Licking Riverside neighborhood. They have three children — Meredith, Alyson, and Jack — and two grandsons, Archie and James.

Jay Fossett is a Covington native. He attended the University of Kentucky, where he studied journalism and political science, and earned a law degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University and a master's degree in executive leadership and organizational change from Northern Kentucky University. He and his wife, Barbara, returned in 2023 to live in the Historic Licking Riverside neighborhood and have three children and two grandsons.

2026 Kentucky General Election

As of September 15, 2026, Jay Fossett’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Public Services

Similarly, clean, safe, and connected neighborhoods help bring new residents to and keep existing residents in our City, encourage investment and reinvestment in our housing stock, and support our local businesses.

A key component to ensure our neighborhoods are safe and attractive is maintaining a strong Code Enforcement Department, which requires property owners to maintain their properties in safe and sanitary conditions and eliminates blighted conditions in these neighborhoods.

My platform for Covington City Council; 9 candidates to vie for 6 seats

Supports maintaining strong code enforcement requiring safe, sanitary property maintenance and eliminating blighted neighborhood conditions.

- Supports maintaining strong code enforcement requiring safe, sanitary property maintenance and eliminating blighted neighborhood conditions.

Housing & Urban Development

Transportation & Infrastructure

My campaign platform primarily stands on four pillars:

Public safety
Covington neighborhoods
City finances and economic development
Improvement in Covington’s public schools

Public safety is my biggest priority, but all four of these areas are interconnected. For example, the City must have a strong business environment that creates and maintains jobs in the City to fund City services, particularly public safety, i.e., the City’s police and fire/EMT departments.

Neglected properties can – and do — attract criminal activity and reduce property values. Visible signs of urban disorder – such as broken windows, graffiti, or litter – often encourage further, more serious crime. Community-focused policing strategies focusing on our neighborhoods, such as the Covington Police Department’s Community Liaison Unit (“CLU”), can help address these issues.

Rather than responding to neighborhood issues only after they escalate into problems, CLU officers work with citizens in our neighborhoods to address the root causes of these issues before they happen, connect struggling families to needed resources, address neighborhood nuisance properties, and mentor youngsters who may need positive role models.

The City needs to continue — better yet, expand — our existing Code Enforcement and Community Policing programs to continue to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Jay’s Vision

Prioritizes public safety, including police, fire, and emergency medical services.

Supports expanding city code enforcement and community-policing programs to improve neighborhood quality of life.

- Prioritizes public safety, including police, fire, and emergency medical services.
- Supports expanding city code enforcement and community-policing programs to improve neighborhood quality of life.

Public Safety

As Covington schools’ new superintendent, Flucas must now develop and execute a bold strategic plan for the school district and exhibit the fortitude needed to make the tough decisions that previous superintendents and administrations may have avoided.

That means holding people accountable for their actions — or inaction — in achieving the goals outlined in this plan. A key to achieving these expectations is to have high expectations of faculty and staff as well as students and making them all accountable for achieving these expectations.

New School Superintendent Brings Opportunity to Improve Covington Public Schools and the City Itself

While the Covington Independent Public School District is a separate taxing district and autonomously operating entity from the City of Covington, school district and City officials must build a strong relationship to work closely together as partners to achieve improvements in our public schools.

As a City Council member, I will continue to work closely with the school district and Ms. Flucas to improve our public schools, its relationship with the greater community, including local businesses, and student outcomes.

Improving Covington’s public schools is a key component to helping the City of Covington reach its full potential. A high-achieving, thriving public school district will attract more families to the City and keep existing ones living in our community.

While CIPS is a separate taxing district that operates autonomously from the City of Covington, it’s important that school district and city officials work together with business leaders and other community leaders to build strong relationships and partnerships with CIPS to achieve improvements in our public schools and student outcomes.

Calls for holding faculty, staff, and students accountable for meeting the expectations of the school-district plan.

Plans to work with Covington Independent Public Schools, local businesses, and community leaders to improve public schools and student outcomes.

- Calls for holding faculty, staff, and students accountable for meeting the expectations of the school-district plan.
- Plans to work with Covington Independent Public Schools, local businesses, and community leaders to improve public schools and student outcomes.

Education

That also means that the City’s remaining revenue sources must be used for all other City services — from Public Works and Code Enforcement to Housing and Economic Development efforts.

That’s why the City must focus on its internal finances while promoting economic development and job growth externally in the City. The cost of services that the City of Covington provides to its citizens rarely goes down. Annual operating costs almost always increase because of inflation and other increases in costs, negotiated contracts with the city’s three public unions, and the need to offer competitive pay to attract and keep qualified employees.

Public safety is my biggest priority, but all four of these areas are interconnected. For example, the City must have a strong business environment that creates and maintains jobs in the City to fund City services, particularly public safety, i.e., the City’s police and fire/EMT departments.

Supports focusing on city finances while promoting economic development, job growth, and a strong business environment.

- Supports focusing on city finances while promoting economic development, job growth, and a strong business environment.

Economy

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Jay Fossett

- Plans to work with Covington Independent Public Schools, local businesses, and community leaders to improve public schools and student outcomes.

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Dan Francis

Steve Hayden

Tim Acri

Tim Downing

- City council members make up the legislative body of the city's government and are responsible for the public's health, safety, and welfare. Its legislative duties include enacting ordinances, levying taxes, and adopting a budget. 
- The city council has the authority to investigate all activities of the city government and its employees. 
- City councils in Kentucky typically have between 6 and 12 council members. They serve two-year terms except in Louisville and Lexington where some members serve four-year terms. 
- Council members can be elected to represent a single district or the city at-large. Elections take place in even-numbered years. 

Passes laws and regulations for your city.