Independent Desaepa Vansauwa joins the Hopkinsville mayoral race

As Kentucky’s General Election approaches, Independent candidate Desaepa Vansauwa spotlighted some of the priorities that encouraged him to run for Hopkinsville’s mayoral seat.

Vansauwa is the co-owner of the Vansauwa’s Tacos and Vegan Eats and currently serves on the board of directors for the Hopkinsville-Christian County Boys and Girls Club and The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County.

Vansauwa is a political newcomer, and says the mayor of Hopkinsville should be someone who is not persuaded by political parties. Vansauwa says he has been registered as an independent voter for the past eight years and will not let political parties impact his mayoral work.

If elected, Vansauwa says some of his priorities are to improve public transportation, support small businesses and local farmers, strengthen the city’s storm water drainage systems and to provide more resources for senior citizens. Vansauwa says he would like to establish a bus route that only serves teenagers. He also says expanding public transportation will likely lead to the construction of more sidewalks and streetlights.

When attending community events, Vansauwa says he often does not see many senior citizens and claims the city has areas that are not accessible to them. After doing a decent amount of traveling, Vansauwa says other cities are more equipped with resources for the elderly and would like to bring some of those ideas to Hopkinsville.

In the fall election, Vansauwa will face Democratic candidate Markeeta Oldham Wilkerson and Republican Candidate Russ Guffey.