Katrina Sexton

Katrina Sexton was born in Danville, Kentucky. She earned a high school diploma from Mercer County Senior High School, an associate degree from St. Catharine College in 2000, a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 2004, and a Ph.D. from Eastern Kentucky University in 2016. Her career experience includes working as an educator.[1][2]

Sexton has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

KEA

KSBA

Golden Key

NSHSS

KDP

Omega Nu Lambda

National Association of Professional Women

Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Theta Kappa

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

As a life-long Kentuckian, I have been married for 22 years to my husband, and we have two sons. As a mom, wife, and educator, at 45 years old, I see a need to bring the voice of the public back to House District 55. As a native of Washington County and resident of Mercer County, we need leadership that hears community concerns and puts the people first. In my lifetime, I have worked as a farmhand, social services worker for families/children, hospital associate, retail work, manufacturing/factory line worker, and as an educator in public K12 schools as well as in higher education. As a member of the community, I have served as a volunteer in many capacities as well having been a twice-elected city council woman and separately, as a twice-elected school board member in Burgin, KY. My experience working with budgets, policies, and local/state laws within the municipal system and a local school district helps make me a qualified candidate. It is my sincerest hope to bring the people's voice back to the legislature through the district's house seat to serve the people of Washington, Mercer, and (part) Jessamine Counties.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Poverty is not a life choice. People should not be forced to fight it alone or subjugated into a lifetime of living paycheck to paycheck. Senior citizens, individuals, and families should not have to choose between medications, food, and utilities. No person should have to go without the necessities to live simply because they earn less income and are struggling to survive.Healthcare is a right, not a privilege to be dictated by corporations, insurance companies, and mandated by politicians. Large corporations should not have their hand in every aspect of our individual healthcare. People and their doctors should have more control over our medical care than insurance companies who own and run our health plans, pharmaceuticals, and the entire medical process. Individuals should be able to gain the information needed to make their own, informed decisions about what is best for their own bodies.Public tax dollars belong to the public and should serve the public good. Government and private corporations should not be focused on making millionaires and billionaires wealthier on the backs and out of the pockets of hardworking citizens who are living paycheck to paycheck. Tax breaks, exemptions, and subsidies should not be directed toward already enriched pockets. Elected officials have an ethical and moral obligation to serve the communities that elect them rather than acting up their own self-interests.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Protecting public education, providing affordable/accessible healthcare, and protecting our rights as individuals, workers, and citizens.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

On a political level, I look up to Ruther Bader Ginsburg as an advocate for justice and human rights. On a personal level, I look up to my grandmothers, my mother, and my mother-in-law. Each of these ladies taught me how to be strong, resilient, and compassionate. They all had their personal struggles in life, but each of them came through the other side, inspiring me to be a mother, a strong woman, and someone who genuinely cares for others regardless of anything else that may have defined who they were or what others thought about them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should be honest and transparent, seeking to serve the full constituency rather than self-interest. Holding an elected office is not a career, but rather a service to the people for who one is elected to represent. Term limits should be applied to the legislature and retirement should not be an option for an elected office.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen to the public, serve the public interest, and work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for the most people possible, regardless of political affiliation.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The hope is that I would leave a legacy of cooperation that provided for greater bipartisanship while providing for and improving the lives of so many, many more Kentuckians who have gone for too long feeling left behind or forgotten by their elected leaders.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working as a retail associate at Walmart. As far as I can remember, I worked for Walmart for about one year.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The one main struggle in my life has been poverty. I grew up in poverty living in low-income or income-based apartment housing. As an adult, I have worked towards a career that could hopefully lead my family out of poverty. However, economic issues have created barriers and hurdles to overcome for myself, my family, and the community. Trying to help others while still maintaining balance in my own life has been a constant struggle. All too often I take on more and more in an attempt to help someone else. I have put myself into personal debt trying to improve the lives of people around me and even for complete strangers. I work to improve the plight of others, to bring opportunities to others, or to provide for the needs of others, frequently to my own detriment, or to a fault at times.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The state government should be able to work in a bipartisan manner to accomplish the best possible outcome for Kentucky rather than for only certain groups. The state government should be equally representative of the population at-large. There should never be a supermajority that can push through legislation that the public does not support. The governor, ideally, functions as an enforcer and supporter of the public interests and issues without being a dismissive of opposing viewpoints. Both the legislative and executive branches would ideally be supplementary to each other, balancing power rather than vying for control of power.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Political division as well as economic and environmental issues are, and most likely will continue to be, the greatest challenges over the next decade.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is part of policymaking. We practice it in our everyday lives. Our government is supposed to represent us and the struggles we face. The state government, and any level of government, should be able to work in a bipartisan manner to accomplish the best possible outcomes for the people rather than for only certain groups.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The fall of the Berlin Wall was the first historical event that I can remember. I believe I was about 10 years old when I watched it on the news.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a married 43-year-old mother of two sons. I am a native of Washington County and resident of Mercer County where I have lived most of my life. Over the years, I have worked as a farmhand, social services worker, hospital associate, retail work, manufacturing/factory line, and higher education administration. As a member of the community, I have served as a volunteer on various boards as well as an elected official on the local city council in Burgin, KY. I have experience working with budgets, policies, and local/state laws within the municipal system and a local school district. I hope to bring the people's voice back to the legislature through the district's house seat to serve the people of Washington, Mercer, and (southern) Jessamine Counties.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Public tax dollars belong to the public and should serve the public.Healthcare is a right, not a privilege to be dictated by corporations.Poverty is not a life choice and people should not be forced to fight it alone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, healthcare, and poverty

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my grandmothers, my mother, and my mother-in-law. Each of these ladies taught me how to be strong, resilient, and compassionate. They all had their personal struggles in life, but each of them came through the other side, inspiring me to be a mother, a strong woman, and someone who genuinely cares for others regardless of anything else that may have defined who they were or what others thought about them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should be honest and transparent, seeking to serve the full constituency rather than self-interest. Holding an elected office is not a career, but rather a service to the people for who one is elected to represent. Term limits should be applied to the legislature and retirement should not be an option for an elected office.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

My life experiences have been varied and some have been extremely hard. I have pushed myself throughout my life, overcoming and striving to do more and to be more, to gain a higher education and to take on jobs or opportunities that helped me to understand the people around me in a more realistic way. I have seen and experienced so many different paths in life. I believe I can truly relate to my fellow Kentuckians. I have a working knowledge of how policies, legislation, budgets, and finance work on a local, state, and federal scale. For anything that I do not understand, I am willing to learn and ask questions while listening to the people who I serve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen to the public, serve the public interest, and work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for the most people possible regardless of political affiliation.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The hope is that I would leave a legacy of cooperation that provided for greater bipartisanship while providing for and improving the lives of so many, many more Kentuckians who have gone for too long feeling left behind or forgotten by the elected leaders.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The fall of the Berlin Wall is the first historical event that I can remember. I believe I was about 10 years old when I saw it on the news.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working at Walmart. As far as I can remember, I worked for Walmart for about one year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I'm not sure I have a favorite book. Once I read a book, I don't usually read it again, but there are some that I truly enjoyed for different reasons. Pride and Prejudice because who doesn't like Jane Austen. Wuthering Heights because it was a challenge at the time to understand due to how it was written and the language. I love series novels. The trilogy that really grabbed my affection for reading was The Twilight series. The books that I think left a longer lasting impact go back to when I was in high school and since my years as a teacher which are: Hiroshima [excellent book full of detail], The Great Gatsby [capturing the culture of life], and of course The Federalist Papers [documenting the story of our nation's government coming to fruition].

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Perhaps Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Katniss Everdeen, but probably more likely Jo March.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

It's silly, but "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus and I don't really listen to a great deal of music outside of K-Love but that song seems to just into my head for some reason.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Trying to help others while still maintaining balance in my own life has been a constant struggle. All too often I take on more and more in an attempt to help someone else. I have put myself into personal debt trying to improve the lives of people around me and even for complete strangers. I work to improve the plight of others or to bring opportunities to others or to provide for the needs of others, frequently to my own detriment, or to a fault at times.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The state government should be able to work in a bipartisan manner to accomplish the best possible outcome for Kentucky rather than for only certain groups.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Political division as well as economic and environmental barriers.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It does help to have some experience but I do not believe it should be a requirement. It is important that all Kentuckians are represented regardless of experience.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

In order for people to work together, we have to understand and know each other at a deeper level rather than just on the surface. A person's character and personal experiences provides insight into their beliefs, ideas, and perspectives on different issues.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Martha Layne Collins

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

At this time, I have no future aspirations to run for another political office. If the opportunity were to be presented, I would weigh the possibilities and make a decision at that time. I do not know what my future holds.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

As someone who has spent nearly my entire adult life as a public servant in one capacity or another, I have heard many personal stories. The continuance theme over the last 40 plus years has been that people feel beaten down, shamed, humiliated, or forgotten by the elected. In addition, I have had some moments of my own where I simply could not understand or fathom how it is that someone can work so hard and still be so crushed in life that the feeling of hopelessness seeps into every aspect of daily life. People should not feel like they are disposable. People matter.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Although the question is vague or not specific enough, the legislature should operate under the authority originally granted to it through the state constitution. If the state constitution does not provide for such oversight, then leave the choice to the people to change it. Too often one political party or the other has too much control and use of power to hinder rather to than to help was not the intent of the founders. Working together toward a common goal and the common good of mankind should be the focus.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Although similar bills have been introduced before, I would like to bring forth a bill to set term limits on the state legislature or a state constitutional amendment for the people to vote on. Statistics show that Kentuckians [Americans at-large] want term limits, but the legislative bodies [state and federal] continue to vote in their own interests rather than the people's interests. In addition, legislation to protection our education system and other state merit-based employment is needed in order to make the commonwealth more competitive with surrounding states rather than driving individuals out of such careers.

What committees interest you?

Education, oversight, and finance

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government runs for and by the will of the people. Government finances should be fully open to the public to see and in a manner that the general public can understand. Elected leaders who refuse to serve the public or who choose to earmark public tax dollars for private interests should not be serving in office.