Born and raised in Madisonville by a family with a long history of public service to the citizens of Madisonville, Mayor William M. Cox, Jr., 40, was first elected to the Madisonville City Council in November 2002 representing and serving the residents of Ward 6. Will served two two-year terms on the City Council before seeking and winning the 2006 primary and general elections for Mayor of the City of Madisonville. Will’s four-year term as Mayor began on January 1, 2007.
Will’s campaign for Mayor focused on one simple theme: Moving Madisonville Forward!Will’s vision for moving Madisonville forward includes:
Promoting City/County Cooperation – working with Hopkins County Judge/Executive Donnie Carroll and the other elected county officials to unite our county behind common goals and values
Protecting Our Citizens – providing the best trained, best equipped, and most professional police and fire departments that our citizens can reasonably afford
Changing The Tone Of City Government – making city government more proactive and “user friendly” by making the City a true partner for progress with the business, industrial, and development communities
Addressing Downtown Traffic Congestion – aggressively seeking the relocation of the CSX railroad tracks from the downtown area, thereby reducing the noise levels downtown, eliminating the dangers associated with numerous at-grade crossings, improving the response time for emergency services, and providing the least disruptive corridor for a new north-south traffic corridor through the downtown area
Economic Development – providing necessary leadership to bring quality jobs and business opportunities to Madisonville’s citizens while dealing with the challenges facing Madisonville and Hopkins County
Cleaning Up Our Community – raising the enforcement level of the City’s public nuisance ordinances in order to make Madisonville look better by addressing blighted properties, thereby returning those properties to the property tax rolls and providing safe housing for city residents
Upgrading The Dr. Festus Claybon Neighborhood Park – working with the residents around the Park to develop a plan to enhance the recreational opportunities at the Park – pursuing the necessary revenue streams to make that plan a reality
Revitalizing Our Downtown – working with downtown property owners to find ways to attracts businesses and citizens back to the downtown area – reinvigorating the Historic District Commission to protect the heritage of our downtown business and residential areas – upgrading the summer Friday Night Live series to provide Madisonville residents with quality entertainment opportunities downtown
Maintaining Good Relationships With Frankfort– working with our elected and appointed state officials to make sure that our community gets its fair share of local tax dollars returned from Frankfort in the form of grant monies and capital/infrastructure projects that are in the best interests of Madisonville
Will is a 1985 graduate of Madisonville/North Hopkins High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky. Will is a 1999 graduate of the University of Louisville’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and practices law in the Madisonville law firm of Whitfield & Cox, PSC.
Will is a graduate of the 2004 Leadership Kentucky program, as well as a graduate of Leadership Hopkins County. Additionally, Will is a member of the Madisonville Noon Kiwanis Club, a member of the Hopkins County Crimestoppers Board of Directors, and a member and Past President of the statewide Friends of Kentucky Educational Television Board of Directors. Will is an active member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Madisonville, where he and his wife, Marci, both serve as Deacons.
In their spare time, Will and Marci enjoy playing golf, riding their motorcycles, reading books, spending time with friends and family, and relaxing at home with their dog, Fred.
