Thompson Drops Out of Commissioner Race

Paducah City Commission candidate Lennis Thompson has announced that he is withdrawing from the race, effective immediately.  

"I deeply regret having to withdraw," he said. "But the need for work has forced me to go a great distance outside Paducah; and, as a result, I would not be able to properly tend to either a campaign or, if elected, the duties of commissioner."

When he entered the race, Thompson was the regional controller at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah. Reorganization in the parent corporation’s finance functions over the last year led to elimination of that position, as well as a number of other cuts in the finance departments across the corporation. Thompson explained that it had been his intention to find other work that would allow him to stay in Paducah full time.

"The job market in Paducah and the surrounding area has been tight," he said. "Many of my former employees in the finance department struggled to find new jobs. Personally, I am fortunate to have the experience and background to allow me to provide consulting services, and so I have found work in that field. On the down side, it is a move that, with a newly developed client, is going to take me out of Paducah four to five days each week and is going to consume nearly all of my time for the foreseeable future. Under those circumstances, I simply could not accept the position of commissioner even if elected. It would be a disservice to the people of Paducah.”

Thompson does hope to return to Paducah full time in the near future and remains interested in serving in local government.

“Paducah is my home and always will be,” he said.  “I will always do whatever I can to promote and support Paducah – particularly in areas of economic growth, job development and fiscal responsibility.  In some ways now, like a lot of Paducah natives, these issues are even more personal to me.  We all have an interest in seeing Paducah thrive; and I’m not giving up on that goal.”