After 38 years in local government service, Mayor Ron Payne announced he will not seek a third term.
“I have accomplished what I set out to do and it is now time for me to step aside. Later this month I will turn 70 and it’s time to let go,” Ron Payne said during his Friday afternoon press conference at City Hall, “It has been an honor to be your mayor during this exciting time.”
Previously, he served as an Owensboro City Commissioner from 2005 until 2007. He has also maintained the positions of City Manager, the City’s Chief Administrative Officer, from 1997 until his retirement in 2003, and Director of Finance & Administration from 1993 until 1997. Previously, Ron served 14 years with the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, first as Controller and Deputy City Auditor and eventually as Director of Finance. He was Owensboro’s City Auditor from 1975 to 1979 and also worked for the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand.
Ron is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Brescia College and a Masters of Science in accounting from the University of Tulsa. Ron is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in Vietnam.
He is a member of the American Institute of CPA’s, a lifetime member of the VFW, and serves on the International Bluegrass Music Museum Board, Economic Development Corporation Board, and the Fine Arts Museum Board. He was recognized by the Kentucky League of Cities as their “Elected City Official of the Year” in 2014, the Kentucky Recreation and Parks Society as the “Outstanding Public Official” in 2014, and received the Wendell H. Ford Regional Legislative Leadership Award in 2010 presented by the Green River Area Development District.
Ron and his wife Denise have two sons, Brian and Adam.
