Benjamin T. Lawson

Age: 28

Occupation: Insurance agent with Van Meter Insurance Group

Relevant experience: My career in business, community leadership, and growing up in Bowling Green have given me experiences that will contribute to my ability to effectively represent this community. I decided to get involved in politics to affect the change I wanted to see. Politically I have been the youth chair for the Warren County GOP since 2012, and I chartered the Southern Kentucky Young Republicans chapter of the national Young Republicans here in Bowling Green the year after. I was the co- vice chair for the 2016 Presidential caucus for Warren County which saw thousands of voters participate. I have worked with many local organizations in town that have allowed me to see first hand how community action and collaboration can affect change. I both attended and worked for the Bowling Green City School System, and in that saw what opportunities our schools provide here, and why we need to stand up for them. In the community I have volunteered with HOTEL INC, Room in the Inn, the Foundry, the United Way, and have taken up leadership in my church, State Street United Methodist. I am currently the administrative chair and have chaired the annual community Thanksgiving meal as well, which sees our church and First Christian Church serve over 1,000 meals to those who need it right here in Bowling Green. These organizations showed me that we can affect change if we focus on getting things done and working together. Lastly in business I have worked at Van Meter Insurance since 2012, helping customers daily solve problems and working with many different companies and personalities to bring solutions to the table to fit our customers needs. I am a member of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, and am also a Bowling Green Young Professional. I was named a WNKY Emerging leader in 2018.

What is your platform?

My platform is to challenge the status quo and to fight for a new kind of politics. I want to be a candidate that is for something, not just running against things. I want to give a voice to those people who feel they have lost it in this extreme partisan age. I am running to affect change and get things done. We can’t ignore our problems and kick the can down the road any longer, we need to come together and respectfully address them in a sustainable way.

My platform is based on the undeniable truth that we live in a very competitive economy, and to succeed and grow Kentucky must compete. To create our success I have identified three key points to create a F.I.T. government. A government that:

Is Fiscally Responsible and Sustainable. One that addresses our problems head on, in a respectful way, and thinks what will work 30-40 years down the road, not just for today.

Invests in our Future, our People, and our Infrastructure. We must look at real tax modernization to attract families and business to KY, and to put more disposable income in our citizens pockets. We must invest in public education and workforce development to equip our citizens for a better future. Lastly we must invest in our digital and physical infrastructure from high-speed internet to roads. 

Is Transparent and Efficient in how it spends the tax payer dollar. We can’t print money here, and throwing money at a problem will not fix it. We need to ask why we spend what we spend, how we can get the best return on investment, and what we can invest in to create a future for us as a top 10 state. Its time to pull back the curtain on backroom politics and do everything in the open and based on facts.

If elected, what would be your top priorities?

Fighting for a top 10 Kentucky through long term planning and a sustainable future through: 

Addressing the 40B pension shortfall. Depending on how the courts rule and what comes of that, addressing the pension in a long term and bipartisan way is paramount to not only our teachers and state workers, but to every citizen in Kentucky. We have to get all parties to the table and come together to fix this, together.

Standing up for education and encouraging workforce development programs. From pre-K to post secondary we need to provide for our schools to create our next generation. We must also enable and empower those looking to gain new skills or take alternate paths to the workforce and new high skill jobs through workforce development.

Looking at tax modernization and using facts and figures to develop a tax code that will propel our growth and success. We need a tax code that is transparent, simple, and provides the necessary, predictable, and sustainable funding our government needs, without creating unnecessary tax burdens on our working families.

Fighting for Bowling Green. Making sure our voice is heard, that we have a seat at the table, and that we get the resources we need back here to keep us growing. From WKU, to our public schools, to industry, to city hall, Bowling Green is a huge economic engine in the state and I will be a representative who will deliver results for us here.