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Kentucky House of Representatives District 11 candidate surveys, 2022
From Ballotpedia
This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 11 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
- Click here to see candidates and election results.
- Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Jonathan Dixon defeated Velvet Dowdy in the general election for Kentucky House of Representatives District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jonathan Dixon (R) | 63.3 | 8,850 |
 | Velvet Dowdy (D)  | 36.7 | 5,142 | |
| Total votes: 13,992 | |||
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Velvet Dowdy (D)
Public education is the foundation of our democracy. We cannot afford to fail at educating all students.
Healthcare is a right of all humans. It should not be tied to employment, but affordable to all.
We must invest in the future through renewable energy sources, updates to infrastructure, and investments in our children.
Healthcare is a right of all humans. It should not be tied to employment, but affordable to all.
We must invest in the future through renewable energy sources, updates to infrastructure, and investments in our children.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I am passionate about education. I was a classroom teacher for 24 of my 32 years, and my love for teenagers helped keep me motivated. I have seen the right adults make a positive impact on students, and help them succeed in the classroom and beyond. Almost all of societies problems stem from a failure in education for a child. Whether it be a disengaged parent, or adults in the school not recognizing that a child was falling through the cracks, or lack of available resources for families, the implications for children who become adults without hope or opportunity are dire. I believe in the possibility of all children to be successful, but it is not just the schools that have to embrace this idea. The community at large must make it a priority to educate the next generation of workers, military, tradespeople, artists, and scholars. There is no one size fits all. Children need so many things to become productive adults in society--healthcare, preschool, social workers, mental health counselors, teachers, mentors, parents, community members, and opportunities awaiting them when they are ready to enter adulthood.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
The person I admire most is my father. He was a unique man for his time. He was born in 1942, and was not even 20 when I was born in 1962. Despite the commonly accepted opinions of that time, my father raised me to be independent and free thinking. At a time when most women were quitting school to marrry and be a stay at home mother, my father made it clear he expected to me to go the college and get an education. He did not care what course of study I wanted to pursue, he just wanted me to get the education he could not afford. I did. However, after all my education, the lessons he taught me still ring true: "Doing something well doesn't take any longer than doing it poorly" and "Always think for yourself. No matter what other people think, you should always make up your own mind about your own opinion."
Velvet Dowdy (D)
First, I am a good leader. My leadership style is to lead by example, and that has served me well both inside the classroom as a teacher leader, and in administration jobs. Secondly, I am good at listening. This was especially helpful when dealing with unhappy parents. If you listen to people long enough you can determine what is at the source of their anger, or frustration, or fear. Once you hear what the real issue is, you can work to solve it. And finally, I am good with learning new information. I do not know everything about potential bills, and I will have to learn enough to respond effectively. Luckily, I enjoy learning new things and welcome that opportunity.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Elected officials have the responsibility to stay in touch with their constituents. Communication is a two way street. They should not only keep voters informed, but they must also listen to the concerns of their community. Elected officials are referred to as public servants, and service means that the needs of their community outweighs their own interests. It really is that simple, but somewhere too many people forgot this. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, my goal with be to serve my community.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
The only legacy I want to leave is that I did the best job of legislating that my talents and abilities allowed. I want to be remembered as a person who sought out ideas, concerns, and hopes from her constituents, and acted according. I want to be remembered as a legislator who cared what happened to her community and the people in it, whether or not they were supporters. But mostly, I want to be seen as a legislator who did the right thing, and maintained her integrity for the length of her tenure--no matter what was at stake.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I remember the first moon landing in July of 1969. I was only 7 at the time, but my father set me in front of the television that night and told me, "You need to watch this. This is history being made." As I watched, my father explained what was happening to me. In the movie, Apollo 13, the news segment of the characters watching Walter Kronkite's broadcast of this event always gives me chills. I was watching that same broadcast that night. I suppose I will never forget it. I'm also certain that my love of science was born that night.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
My first job was working in tobacco. My father started me working in the fields at age 7. I began by riding the tobacco setter. This was a machine that was pulled by the tractor, and the 4 people riding it have to feed tobacco plants into the fingers of the machine that rotated around and planted the young plants into the soil. I became really good at this job, and by age 10, I will was being hired by other farmers in the area to work on their crew that planted the tobacco. It usually involved working through the morning to pull the plants from the tobacco beds where they were grown from seeds, organizing the plants into baskets to take to the field. After lunch, we would then start setting the plants in the ground. This crew included 6 people--one to drive the tractor, four to feed the setter, and one person to walk behind and plant any that were not set properly or any skips because someone on the setter had missed one of the fingers of the machine. I did this job every summer from age 10 until I gradutated from college.
At age 16, I started working at a local grocery store when I was not working in the fields. I would stock and restock shelves, pump gas for customers, make sandwhiches behind the counter, and run the cash register. I also had this job from age 16 until I graduated from college.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
"Prey" by Micheal Crichton. I love suspense and science. This book had all the suspense, surprise, and science I needed. It is a memorable favorite for me. However, my genre now apprers to be historical fiction. My favorite book in that genre is "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr. If we are talking about classic novels, my favorite is Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
"I'm your boogie man", by KC and the Sunshine Band. Disco music and the music of the 70's is my favorite.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
The biggest struggle I have faced has been the death of both of my parents within months of each other. My father died in November and my mother the following February. It was a really challenging time for me. I realized that my parents would never be available to be my sounding board or to offer a word of encouragement. It doesn't matter how old you are when you lose your parents, you still feel like an orphan. The hardest part is realizing the you will celebrate additional milestones in your life without you parents being there to celebrate with you. My son's wedding, and soon the birth of my first grandchild are just two of the most significant. My parents have been the most significant positive influence on my life, and I miss them every day.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Ideally, the executive and legislative branches would work together for the good of the Commonweath of Kentucky. That is currently not the case. It will not matter to me who is in charge, I will advocate for my constiutency. It may be neccessary for me to do a lot more advocacy depending on who is in charge, but that's ok. I can be really annoying when I need to be.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Kentucky has to focus on generating more income. In the foreseeable future, we are going to need additional investments to shore up our pension systems, improve our infrastructure (roads, bridges, water systems, and energy systems), and education. To generate more income we need to legalize medical marijuana (but I could also make a case for marijuana for general consumption) and sports gambling. Both would be a boon to our economy, proving much needed jobs and revenue.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
We are seeing the impacts of this in the past legislative session. First, the legislature doesn't listen to concerns from non-majority members about the impact of proposed legislation, so bills get passed with no input from other stakeholders. Members of the party in power act in lock-step with leadership to pass bills that no one has even investigated fully. A good example of this is Kentucky Senate Bill 1. After this legislation passed both the House and Senate, and after both chambers overrode the Governor's veto, this bill had to be repaired to remove a provision that would have charged teachers with a crime for any speech in the classroom that runs afoul of the "Anti CRT" provisions in the law. The bill itself did not stipulate legal penalties for teachers, but combined with other current laws, it would have had that result. This is the kind of laziness and lack of attention to details that comes from having total and absolute power in a state.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I think its beneficial, but not entirely neccessary. Most smart people are willing and able to learn, and that is what is neccessary to become a good legislator. I say this and willingly acknowledge that I have no experience in government at any level, so many may think me unqualified to lead, and that's ok. I certainly don't have the experience that others do. But I am smart enough to realize I don't know everything, and humble enough to seek out answers and knowledge I need from others who know more than I do. Based on current trends, I think it might be neccessary to elect leaders who don't hate and/or fear government. According to one of my favorite bloggers (@Stonekettle) "If you elect people who hate and fear government to run government, you get bad government. Bad government has consequences. Bad government can't handle a crisis, won't help its citizens, and can only blame others for its failure." He's right. Our elected leaders have to respect the government enough to do that job they were elected to do.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Absolutely. In order to be a good teacher you have to form positive relationships with students. Many students will not learn from a teacher they do not like. I'm sure working with other legislators is much the same. They might not like me, but they do have to believe that I have the best interest of my constituents at heart. If I can earn their respect, I will have a much better chance of having them listen to my concerns and ideas.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Redistricting should make sense, and currently many district boundaries are drawn to favor one political party over another. That is not the purpose of the voting district divisions. Districts and their elected leaders should reflect the constituents in that district. If it is a district that is predominantly conservation, progressive, or independent, then the boundaries of the district should not be drawn to give a different political party an advantage over the population of that district. It's wrong, and means that any elected official who is elected in a gerry-mandered district does not really represent the people of that district.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I would like to contribute to the Post Secondary sub committe or the sub committee on Primary, and Secondary Education and Workforce Development, as well as the Education Committee. I think any of these appointments would appeal to my strengths. Although I would enjoy serving on Economic and Workforce Development or Natural Resources and Energy. These are not my areas of expertise, but I would be very interested in learning more about either of these areas.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I really admire one of my former local legislators who lost his Senate seat in the 2020 election, Dorsey Ridley. Dorsey is a wonderful human, and he appeals to converative and liberal voters alike. He is genuine and welcoming to all his constituents, and treats them all as important. He's not famous anywhere but our hometown, but he is a legislator that I admire. If I am elected, I hope to be as approachable and welcoming as he.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
I don't think so. I could change my mind, but what I like most about State Representatives is that they serve local communities in which they live. I think that is important to stay close to your constituency to hear what they think, what they fear, and what they hope. All of those things should influence my legislative activity and advocacy.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
This is a story I heard, not as a candidate, but as an assistant principal that gave me insight into how children in poverty and families in poverty live in my community. A student who I had developed a positive relationship with came into my office one day and asked if I had anything to eat. It is really common for teenagers to be hungry, so I didn't really think anything about it However, as the student and I talked I discovered that the new rental unit she and her mom had moved into several months prior had no working stove. She and her mom had been surviving for months on microwave meals. Her hunger took on a different meaning for me at that point. When she returned to class, I called the Youth Service Center, and our wonderful YSC staff had a stove delivered a working stove to her home the next day and installed it. The student and her mother were renters, and the stove was the responsibility of the landlord, but it was school staff who took action. I was glad our YSC could take care of this family's needs, but I was also angry that any landlord in our community would allow a family to go without a working stove for several months.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Emergency implies that quick action is needed. Legislatures do not work with speed, so maybe we should not rely on their slow response to make decisions about problems that need to be acted upon quickly.
Velvet Dowdy (D)
Compromise is absolutely necessary for policymaking. Sometimes the best policies are those that fall between the wishes of two opposing extremes. The thinking of most of US citizens is somewhere in the middle, but it is the extremes in politics that make the most noise. Most people are just trying to live their lives and take care of their families. The problem with our current climate is that we have become so focused on being right, that we never listen to the people on the other side. It has become a battle of sound bites where someone wins and someone loses. But, the only people who really lose are the constituents. Now, I say all this because I believe you make policy in the best interest of the people you represent. However, I will not compromise on my principals. My constituents first, me second. Public service is service first, and the people I serve deserve the best I can deliver.
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