Shiny Plaques and Soft Power

I first became aware of the Kentucky League of Cities after the wrongful arrest of Sebastian Ernst. If you’re unfamiliar or just want to review, Chief of Police Marty Hart arrested Sebastian against legal advice. The city attorney at the time advised against it, yet apparently, some legal representation from the KLC gave him the go-ahead.

It stood out, not just because it was odd, but because it was telling. Former Mayor Ernst had been invited to the meeting by Councilman Craig Owen. And still, he was arrested. That’s peculiar, but not surprising. Marty Hart often has a peculiar way of enforcing the law. Time and again, the questions pile up. I’ve reported on many of them.

In a way, that moment was one of the sparks that lit what would become The Whisper. And just like it always seems to go, once you hear about something, you start noticing it everywhere. KLC kept popping up.

What the Kentucky League of Cities Actually Is

The Kentucky League of Cities is a voluntary non profit association representing more than 370 municipal governments and agencies across the state. Founded in 1927, it provides member cities with legislative advocacy, legal support, training programs, pooled services such as insurance and investments, and model policy guidance.

While it wields substantial influence through its network and resources, it doesn’t have direct regulatory authority over cities. Its power is soft, rooted in relationships and cooperation. But its award giving and service roles raise valid questions about transparency, vendor favoritism, and whether these shiny recognitions sometimes serve as PR cover in moments of public scrutiny.

Awards, Accolades, and Optics

And there are plenty of shiny trophies to go around these days. Who doesn’t like accolades?

If there’s one thing the Falmouth Police Department has been consistently good at, it’s preening for accolades. After all, what better way to justify a bloated budget than to say you’re award winning?

Sure enough, the Kentucky League of Cities awarded the Falmouth Police Department an “Excellence in Risk Management” recognition this past May. Right when they were facing increasing criticism and questions from the public.

Let’s not pretend this is some major badge of honor.

The award came after they scored 80 percent on the Law Enforcement Loss Control Survey. Conducted by none other than the insurance arm of the KLC itself. That’s not an independent audit. That’s the insurer running a checklist to make sure the city doesn’t look like a bad risk on paper.

And let’s be honest, 80 percent is a B minus. One in five benchmarks weren’t met. But somehow, that still earns the word “excellence”?

This smells more like public relations cleanup than operational greatness.

Friends of Kentucky Cities

Speaking of public relations, KLC also gave State Representative Mark Hart a “Friend of Kentucky Cities” award. The KLC Facebook page reads:

“Congratulations to Representative Mark Hart, named a 2025 ‘Friend of Kentucky Cities’ by the KLC Board of Directors for his outstanding work during the 2025 legislative session. Representative Hart sponsored House Bill 369, a KLC initiative, which permits police departments to establish and adopt a policy as to how annual leave will accrue.”

Let’s unpack that.

He sponsored a bill allowing departments to set their own vacation policies and for that, he gets a statewide accolade from the largest municipal lobbying organization in Kentucky. And just in time for reelection season.

Looks good on a mailer, doesn’t it?

Who KLC Really Serves

KLC’s influence is no joke. With over 370 member cities and agencies, their collective lobbying weight is significant.

But here’s an important distinction. Their services are aimed at cities, not citizens. They don’t answer to the public. They answer to member governments. And in some towns, that’s a big difference.

Sure, KLC does work that can benefit everyday people. Stronger governance, better planning, safer operations, legislative advocacy. But whether you, the citizen, ever feel those benefits depends entirely on whether your city actually uses those tools and uses them well.

Roads fixed. Budgets opened. Services improved.

That’s the test.

Which, when you really stop and think about it, makes you wonder how Falmouth even became part of KLC in the first place.

Polish Versus Progress

So the next time someone touts an award, stop and ask, what was actually achieved? What changed?

Because not every shiny plaque signals progress. Sometimes it’s just polish.

Anybody can spit in a bottle and make it twinkle in the sunlight.

Whisper One Out