2026 Kentucky General Election

David K. WEST

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About Judge West

David K. West is the third Judge/Executive, a position that serves as the Chief Elected Executive Official in Jessamine County. A lifelong resident, Judge West was born and raised in Jessamine County and is a graduate of Jessamine County High School. He earned his Funeral Director and Embalmers License from MidAmerica School of Mortuary Science. In addition to his public service, Judge West owns Betts & West Funeral Home and has proudly represented both Jessamine County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky on state and national boards.

About Judge West

Judge West is married to Virginia Montgomery West and is the father of three children and proud grandfather of five grandchildren. He attends Bethel Christian Church in Nicholasville, and his interests include reading, golf and spending time with his family.

David K. West was born and raised in Jessamine County. He graduated from Jessamine County High School and earned a Funeral Director and Embalmers License from MidAmerica School of Mortuary Science. He is married to Virginia Montgomery West, has three children and five grandchildren, and attends Bethel Christian Church in Nicholasville.

David K. West - Jessamine County Kentucky

David K. West owns Betts & West Funeral Home.

Fiscal Court Meetings
1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday at 4:00 PM

Served as Judge/Executive since 2015

Party Affiliation: Republican

Jessamine County Judge/Executive directory

David has served as Jessamine County Judge/Executive since 2015.

Jessamine County Judge/Executive

Said county leaders decided to invest in a new City/County Park playground to replace an old playground.

Snowden and West have been hearing great things about the result, and West, very recently, could see it with his own eyes.

“I had my grandchildren out here playing and there were about 100 kids here playing. I think everyone likes a refresh. We had an old playground, and we made a decision to invest and make a new beginning here at City/County Park,” West said.

Nicholasville City County Park opens all-inclusive playground, and it's a hit

Budget

Considers a temporary pause on data-center approvals while county leaders assess their potential effects and decide whether to allow them.

West said data centers were a central topic at the county’s ordinance update commission meeting Thursday. He said Jessamine County wants to pause data center developments before any proposal is submitted.

“With the uncertainty of what data centers would bring to a community, we’re exploring a pause for any types of approvals for Jessamine County until we can understand what type of impact it would have,” West said.

If the commission moves forward, an ordinance would have to be presented to and voted on by the fiscal court. West said he expects a moratorium, if approved, would last three to six months while county leaders gather more information.

Jessamine County weighs data center moratorium

No proposals on the table yet

West said Jessamine County has not yet been targeted by any data center developers, but called the effort a proactive step.

“Right now we don’t have anybody on the table that has proposed to be in Jessamine County, but we want to be prepared if they do — make an informed decision if we even want a data center in Jessamine County,” West said.

County leaders said any moratorium approved at the county level would not apply to the two other governments within the county, which would have to make their own decisions on a moratorium.

Administration

- The county judge-executive acts as the chief executive officer of your county government. They can appoint staff and fill office vacancies such as sheriff or county attorney.
- The county judge-executive prepares the county budget, oversees funds, and keeps fiscal records.
- The county judge-executive represents the county in discussions with other levels of government.
- The county judge/executive presides over and sits on the “fiscal court,” your county’s legislature. The fiscal court sets the budget for your county and passes laws. It is also responsible for county roads, jails, and social services. 
- The county judge/executive is elected to a four-year term in partisan elections. 
- The maximum annual salary for this position varies based on county size, ranging from approximately $85,000 to $154,400.

Chief executive officer of your county and head of its governing board.