Judge Candidates Talk About Their Leadership Styles

Four of the candidates for Fayette County Judge spoke about their leadership style during the Republican Party Forum at Frisch Auf Country Club last Saturday, and a fifth candidate had a statement read by his daughter that addressed the subject.

The moderator, Ken Dernehl, asked the candidates, “How would you describe your leadership style when there’s disagreement or competing priorities?” Josh Vandever responded

first.

“I think you have to come to everybody where they’re at. Different people have different communication styles, a different level of emotion when they come to things. I’m a very objective thinker in our field. Sometimes, when you’re in a critical situation, there’s not always time for ‘Please, thank you and sorry,’ when you’re working through things.

“But in a business setting, that’s a little bit different,” he continued. “And so I think you have to advocate for your idea. You have to assert yourself. You have to let your opinions and the reason behind them, the why, you have to let that be known. But you know, at the end of the day I think everyone should be – and this is kind of largely what’s absent – I think everyone should be able to stand up, shake hands, smile, have a conversation, and move on with their day. The disagreement doesn’t have to be the theme of our personal relationship. It’s just something we disagreed on.”

Michael Zweschper spoke next, describing his leadership style as a “facilitator.”

“I’ve been leading teams for over 30 years, and invariably, whatever team I get involved in, somehow I find myself in charge because I am that person that can keep an open mind, facilitate discussion, listen to every person’s point of view.

“And then oftentimes I’m the person that’s asked to be the one to resolve the conflicts because conflict just delays destructive discussions,” he added. “The other thing I think that helps me is I have only got two feelings, and if you can find one of them to hurt, good luck. Good luck to you. I do not take things personally. And you can’t take things personally. You have to have a common goal. You have to work towards it.”

Next up was William Bernsen.

“First, it’s very important to have a thick skin when you’re having these conversations with people, and to not be easily offended requires a lot of humility as well,” Bernsen said. “It’s important – and this is one of the most important jobs of the County Judge – is to facilitate discussion. You have to bring the people together and they’re not all going to have the same opinion. And it’s his responsibility to make sure that the discussion is civil and that everyone feels safe in sharing their opinions.

“I am, believe it or not, I can be very diplomatic and I can be a peacemaker,” Bernsen went on to say. “So I have served on committees for a number of years and the places that we serve, you know, there’s a lot of opinions. And so it’s very important to listen to what people have to say, to be a good listener, to hear them out and to consider all sides and to give everybody the space they need to say what they believe.”

Josh Homan was the last to speak.

“I describe it this way: firm, fair and consistent,” Homan said. “If you think about it, there is no need to overcomplicate this. Nothing will change in terms of leadership style. That is baked into the cake at this point. I have experience and I will take my experience into that job. Now, how that manifests itself will look a little bit different just because every job, including this one, you must interact with the folks around you in a different way potentially.

“Firm – advocating your position, advocating for a priority,” he continued. “Fair – understanding that others have other priorities and others have other things that matter to them. And I would argue most importantly is consistency. We can all deal with somebody that’s maybe a little bit prickly, somebody that’s maybe not the most fun to talk to. But it’s when people come from this direction and then that direction, you never know which version of that individual you’re going to get. That is difficult. But if I’m one thing, I am consistent.”

A fifth candidate, Craig Moreau, did not participate in the forum. A representative, his daughter Reagan Moreau, delivered introductory and closing remarks on his behalf. Here is what she had to say about Moreau’s leadership style: “Moreau has spent his life stepping forward when everything is on the line,” she said. “Most of this room met Craig when unprecedented disasters threatening this community were met with preparedness and skill. In those moments, no one cares about politics and no one cares about talking points. What people need is leadership that is steady, prepared and experienced. They need someone who will make the right call when seconds matter. Craig has lived those moments.And he believes that county government should be run the very same way that mindset guides his approach to taxpayer dollars.

“Craig Moreau has experienced firsthand that hard times require courage, resilience and the ability to move forward,” she added later in the meeting. “He is prepared to bring all of these things to the political seat in 2027.”

Watch our livestream recording from the entire forum online at https://youtu.be/ FF4Jsn1KSt0.