Meet the Berea City Council Candidates : Part III

David Rowlette

I was born and raised in Berea. I graduated from Madison County Schools and Eastern Kentucky University; served on the Berea City Council for 3 terms; served as Executive Director of the Berea Chamber of Commerce and the Spoonbread Festival for 15 years, before retiring in 2020. I am a former college professor having taught ten years in Louisiana, Illinois and Kansas. I served nine years in a leadership role in a statewide economic development initiative. I am married to Sandy Rowlette, owner of Memory Lane Ornaments. We have three very successful children: Sarah Stillwell, owner of Grace and Grandur; Leanna Barnes, Speech Pathologist at Silver Creek Elementary and Matt Rowlette, owner of Rowlette’s Lawn Care. 

I am very concerned about the future of Berea, our state and the nation. I want to help make Berea and Madison County a better place to live, work and play. I am an incumbent and have served 3 terms. 

We need to finish our efforts to raise the dam at Owsley Fork. Without the pristine water source that Berea is known for, we cannot address the future needs of residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Therefore, limiting our ability to grow in these areas. 

The role of government is to deliver a broad range of services, administering budgets, passing and enforcing local ordinances, and operating departments of city government. Other responsibilities include coordinating with county, state and federal officials; pursuing state and federal grants; and coordinating electrical, water, sewer, trash collection, animal management, inter

Teresa Scenters

For the third time I’ll be on your Berea City Council ballot. My intent was to (if elected) only serve two terms. But after having so many people encourage me to reconsider I decided to run again. 

 I’ve always considered public service a way to continue using skills and experiences gained in life as a way to contribute to the community. My roots run deep here, going back to the late 1700s - nearly a century before the actual town of Berea was founded. After having spent three decades in newspapers it has been an honor to have served on City Council since retiring from the Berea Citizen in 2020.  

Mine is a common sense and fiscally conservative approach to government. I believe our job is providing and maintaining infrastructure while keeping the safety of the citizens top priority. Limited government is the best government. Due to sound decisions by current council and city administration our town is in excellent financial condition, which has left room for quality of life expenditures as well. The committees I serve on are Personnel and Parks, while we don’t always agree on every issue, I work well with other council members and do my best to thoroughly research every issue that comes before us. 

Finally, and this won’t be a popular statement with some, but I want to be up front.  I have always been, and will continue to be, guided by my faith in Christ in every decision.  

I greatly appreciate your votes and influence.

Katie Startzman

I’m running as an incumbent for my third term as a Berea City Councilperson. I own Native Bagel Company and Nightjar and am a big supporter of small business and creative entrepreneurship. I feel optimistic about the future of Berea and am proud to call this community home. I came to Berea in the mid-90s to attend Berea College and never left. My husband Michael grew up in Berea and I have two adult sons who attended Berea Community School. I love gardening, knitting, and reading books about small business. 

I’m running for office to bring forward the perspective of working families and small business 

 to increase the quality of life of all residents. I pride myself on researching all issues brought to the council thoroughly, thinking creatively about how to address the challenges facing our city, and carefully stewarding taxpayer resources.

Maintaining a strong financial position is key as we will be more resilient in the face of unexpected circumstances, and we will be able to continue to provide high-quality services to all citizens. Cultivating a diverse base of jobs in Berea is the most impactful way we can ensure consistent revenue, so I believe we must continue to support not only the creation of new high-quality jobs by both industry and small business, but we need to find ways to support the businesses that are already located in our community. 

The role of our city government is to provide essential city services to residents- police and fire protection, infrastructure development and maintenance, and in our case as a city-owned utility, to provide consistent electric, water, and wastewater services. 

The city of Berea also performs key economic development and tourism work, ensures safe buildings and proper zoning through our codes and planning office, positively affects quality of life through our parks department, and works with key stakeholders to ensure forward progress for all in our community.