Dangerous is the best way I can describe this mood.

I have a confession, Falmouth. When I feel a loyalty for someone, sometimes it gets blurred with what is real and I decide to keep quiet. It has happened often in my reporting. It is subtle, and unless you really know me, you would not see it.

I will always, from the earliest day I met him, until now and until I am dust, have an affinity for Sebastian Ernst. When I think of Falmouth and its numerous issues, there is no doubt that Sebastian brings solutions.

When I first met him, I hated him. He was arrogant. He seemed to be overconfident and under-qualified. He came across in a way that just rubbed me wrong in every way possible. That could have been for many reasons, mostly I think it was because I also at the time could be overconfident, arrogant, and uncooperative.

Time has a funny way of blurring the ideas and ideals that you form. I watched and listened to the things Sebastian would say. I had never, and still have never, met anyone who had as much passion for a place as he does for Falmouth.

I have been accused often by my detractors of being a zealot about him. Realize it did not start this way. It started with me judging, feeling jealous, and doubting his character. I can assure you each one of these blurred and became a non sequitur as time went on.

Sebastian earned my respect in a way that could not be faked.

Being a rational person, I would weigh what I was feeling by what he was putting out in reality. What things was he doing? What was he saying? And how was he living in his beliefs? Was he all talk, or was he someone to judge with validity in his beliefs and mission?

As a councilman early on and out of the gate, Sebastian had many ideas. He has always been a proponent of his ideas and was never shy about sharing them. Right or wrong, no one can say he is not a man of principles. He has conviction where many are weak and walk away.

Realize, I moved to Falmouth the year before Sebastian made it on the council the first time. Since this is not a history post, I am not going to rehash his time as a councilman or his time building to become Mayor. I will not do that because each person needs to be introduced to him in their own way. That may be visiting his pizza parlor or other projects he is involved in. It also may be just sitting down for a candid conversation with him, something he never shies away from.

I hesitated in writing this article. Still, some things just get to a point, you have to pick the side you will straddle and then you have to do everything to continue on that path. Otherwise you can flounder and be wishy washy, choosing your beliefs based on others beliefs.

I moved to Falmouth early 2016 and moved away from Falmouth in early 2025. I can honestly and with no reservation say that Sebastian has had more positive impact than most anyone else. During my time in Falmouth, I watched, participated and was on the receiving end of many of those changes.

I have worked on a few of his projects briefly. Some painting and cleanup mainly. Mostly though I have watched and looked closely. Building after building he has bought up to clean up. Cleaned up and made better.

No one else was making a difference in a lot of these. Even if they were, Sebastian was one of the people they hired to make it better. You cannot fool me, I watched and was there and have worked downtown doing demos and cleanups and any other work I could for a while. Sebastian has had his hand in most of it and continues to, till this day.

Trust me, Sebastian can be so confident it comes across as arrogance that will drive you insane if you let it. It is the same annoyance I have experienced with every former Marine I have ever known, including my son. It is not arrogance though, when you evaluate it, it is confidence with proof. It is resolve with follow through.

Falmouth has cleaned up since I first moved to it back in 2016. So much of that change has been driven by Sebastian. I don’t mean driven like he was just cruising along. NO, he has always had a direction. I have never met someone so passionate about improving Falmouth. Even if he has had to buy up the buildings to improve them.

Sure, my opinion is his confidence can counterfeit often as arrogance. It is not really arrogant though if you walk the walk, talk the talk, and follow through. He always does.

I can hear it now and I know the mouths it will come from first, the dissent and disagreement. Ben Wolfe, someone who lives in Pendleton County but not Falmouth city limits, does not like Sebastian. He has written so many diatribes that make little sense and speak to a bias borne from someone that fears becoming irrelevant, that it needs mentioned. I would take with a grain of salt any words he speaks about Sebastian. He seems unhinged when it comes to any rational discussion when it comes to former and future Mayor Ernst. To the point you have to sit back and wonder why.

Another detractor is City Councilwoman Carson, a former teacher of Sebastian’s. She has done her civil service, and I will not claim she has not accomplished things. What I will say is the voting record and the facts are lackluster when it comes to true change. I guess some belief paradigms are about maintaining a status quo and others are about effective change. Research, my friends, can point to what is real and what has been effective.

Sebastian has a real vision for Falmouth backed by statistics, reporting, and fact. It encroaches on the old guard and that has become uncomfortable for some. Once he became Mayor, for instance, there were those that wanted to do anything they could to get rid of him.

Representative Mark Hart seemed to make it his mission to remove him and defeat his “agenda.” There are text messages in a group chat that prove this.

Some people have a hard time with change and they also have a hard time with change that has nothing to do with them. The facts, though, speak for themselves.

Let me state simply: Sebastian has made more of an impact to downtown Falmouth than anyone else in decades. While he has been cleaning up Falmouth like it is a mission, some of the same people I mentioned above, and those that feel and believe like them, have put roadblock after roadblock in his way.

One thing, Falmouth: you would have been able to visit the Old Pastime Theatre and catch a show numerous times this year. That would have happened if Joyce and Marty and numerous others didn’t join to create roadblocks. Complaining to inspectors, complaining, complaining till their loud mouths were heard.

All that time they spent more time complaining about Sebastian, someone who wanted to bring something good and great to Falmouth. More effort with those complaints then contributions to making things better.

When you ask why, why would I support Sebastian? Well, it is because I believe in him. I truly and honestly believe, backed by fact that he can improve Falmouth like no one else.

When you listen to the tired idiots commenting and acting like he is the worst, open your eyes.

There is a group that has held back Falmouth for far too long. Carson, Hart, Wolfe and I guess I could probably name numerous others.

The Whisper, this whisper, this gut, what does it say?

It says:

If you want more of the same, vote for the ones who blocked the theatre. But if you want progress, the kind you can see with your own eyes, there’s only one name that belongs on your ballot.

VOTE SEBASTIAN ERNST FOR FALMOUTH, KY MAYOR 2026.

VOTE NO, FOR CARSON, FOR HART and somebody please shut WOLFE up.

WHISPER ONE OUT