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Powell leaving post

By: Greg Bird

Deputy Judge Andrew Powell announced he would be leaving his post at the start of the new year for a new opportunity in the field of Public Relations.

Powell has accepted a position at his alma mater, Union College, and will become the Director of Strategic Communications for the private college based out of Barbourville. IMG_4635

The decision to change careers after serving the past four years under Judge Executive Doug Stephens’ administration wasn’t easy, Powell said, but he felt it was time for a change.

“I think a lot of Union College,” he said. “It is a great college and I don’t know if I would have been able to graduate from anywhere else.”

“It will be a good opportunity for me and my family,”

Powell noted one of the main benefits would be free college tuition at the school for his children.

“I have thought about it for quite some time,” he added. “I learned pretty fast the political side of things is not for me.”

“I have enjoyed being involved in the community, listening to people voice their concerns and doing what I could do to help.”

Despite leaving the position he has held for the past four years, Powell says he will remain active in McCreary County, continuing to work on projects he helped initiate like the Farmer’s Market and Trail Town.

“I will never turn my back on this community, I will be involved where ever I can,” Powell said. “If all of us do a little something to improve this community, even if it is just in our own neighborhood, we can make a big difference.”

“I know, after I leave, I still can be involved in pushing this community forward without being directly involved in the government.”

Powell doesn’t look back at the past four years with an eye for the “big accomplishment,” but rather the overall sum of what has been done.

“I think people try to measure success by looking for great accomplishments,” he said. “I see it as a combination of a lot of things. I am proud of the little things we have done that people tend to overlook.”

Judge Stephens said one of those little things has been on how the County operates.

“He has helped the efficiency of the county government,” Stephens said. “He has helped tie up a lot of loose ends and made things run they way they should.”

“Obviously, I want for him to do what is best for him and his family,” he added. “Four years ago, with his knowledge and experience, we were able to hit the ground running, and his leaving won’t change that. We will still be working on a lot of projects together.”

Powell believes he has made an impact not only on the county as a whole, but his office as well.

“I think I have changed the office of Deputy Judge for the better,” he admits. “Government is like a business, and you have to do what you can to make your business more efficient.”

“Judge Stephens has capable people around him that will allow the work we started to continue.”

That work, Powell said, is a continuation of the past four years and he believes the people of McCreary County have a positive outlook on the administration.

“I think this past election was pretty significant,” he said. “I feel it signified people putting stock in what we have done in the past four years and have faith that we can continue to move forward.”

As for the future of the Deputy Judge post, Judge Stephens said he has no definitive plans as of yet, but noted Powell will still be a part of the plan in the future.

“We will continue to move forward,” Stephens said. “Andy will still be a part of it, but I have no set plan right now.”

Powell said there were a lot of individuals who helped shape him from a young college graduate into the man he is today, and thanked them for their support and guidance along the way.

“There were a lot of great people in this community who mentored me over the years,” he said. “ I took that knowledge and Doug gave me the opportunity to apply that in a positive way.”

“I hope I met people’s expectations,” he said.

“I think he surpassed those expectations,” Judge Stephens added. “He raised the bar on what it means to be a community leader.”

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