Joshua Watkins is running to be the State Representative for District 42. He discussed his career in public service and desire to serve, who he is as a person, and his vision for District 42...
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hey, Joshua, Hey there,I'm excited. It's nice to be back
with you again. We were ata dinner one night and had a great
conversation and good people and it wasa room filled with a lot of really
smart people, and it was andI noticed state quiet. I strategically placed
my comments too. You have todo that. Yes, all right,
(00:22):
you've been a public servant for along time. I know that this is
your first time. You're running foroffice in as a state rep in District
forty two. Yes, so tofirst tell me about your public service that's
led you up to this time.Absolutely, thanks for the question. So
I've spent ten a little over adecade in the local government, various roles.
I've worked in community development. I'veworked on issues like homelessness, housing
(00:46):
affordability, public safety, and generallymaking government more efficient. I like for
our tax dollars to go as faras they can. So I used to
run the Office of Performance Improvement andcurrently I'm doing strategic initiatives for the current
administration. And it's been a greatten years. As a millennial, I'm
kind of shocked to say I've beensomeplace longer than that. But I joke
(01:08):
around. When I joined Metro government, I had hair on the top of
my head. Well, a lotof people tease your age bracket about oh,
they can't hold a job. Youlove what you do? I do?
I do. I love being apublic servant. There's no rewarding career
better than that. I grew upserving community as well, so it's too
much like right for me. Ithink I know a little bit about you.
(01:29):
I remember from our conversation. You'rean uncle dad. I am an
uncle Dad, the greatest one you'llever meet. Oh, man, that's
a heck of a title to earn. Eight people will say say that that
is true. And isn't there aWorld War two vet in your family?
Yes, there is my great uncleMatthew Watkins, who is in the town
who could tell you. I mean, it's mine is as sharp as anybody,
and we're blessed to have that inmy family. But World War two
(01:52):
veteran has been back to Washington severaltimes to be honored in such patriarch of
our family right now. We lovehim dearly, So shout out to uncle
Matt. You can't learn any strongerlessons from anybody on this earth. The
mom comes first, But if there'sa World War two VET people who lived
through that era. Yeah, itwas a different world. It was a
different world back then, and obviouslylife you know, was significantly different than
(02:17):
the nineteen forties or someone like thatserving their country absolutely coming back in and
facing challenges again. Absolutely, Sotell me who you are today, Joshua,
that you've learned from him and othersin your family, and this puts
you in this spot right now.What is it that you want to bring
to this job as state Rep.I think service to people, service to
(02:37):
your community has been the heart ofsort of my family dynamic. So I
am not from Kentucky originally you maynot notice the twang. It may come
out every now and then, butI grew up in Florida. Actually my
parents and I'm the middle child offive, and we moved to Kentucky what
five months or so before I graduatedhigh school. I thought it was the
end of my life because it's highschool. You want to go gradually.
(03:00):
Were friends and then I came tothis great state and loved it and have
a lot of family. But thenI picked up these things called allergies,
and it was terrible from that regard. But my dad's family is from Hopkinsville,
so Western probably the state. Wehave family all over the state.
Went to undergrad at UK after abrief stand at Murray State University, and
(03:21):
then moved over to Louisville in twentyeleven. But I've been coming here since
two thousand and five. A tonof family here. My uncle Matt that
I talked about, he's just oneof twenty one children, and so I
have a very very big family.Come from a long line of preachers and
service to the community that way.Also a preacher myself, and so yeah,
outside of being the middle child offive, being that middle child meant
(03:42):
I needed to do a lot ofthings to get noticed because that's the middle
child syndrome. So it was athletics, it was academics. I'm an insatiable
reader. I love to cook,I have a dog. I am an
uncle dad, and I like towrite music and serve my community on different
boards. I like to sing,and yeahttle bit little something for everybody.
If you're trying to get to knowme, I didn't want to interrupt you,
(04:02):
but that twenty one children thing isa big note there. Yeah,
that's a very big thing. That'sa lot of learning to go. I'm
one of fourteen. I know howthat teaches lessons about fruitg gality, oh
yeah, and discipline, structure.All those things are part of you.
They have to be because of whereyou come from. Absolutely so my parents,
(04:23):
you know, being born in fiftyfour and fifty seven, just like
Uncle Matt in comparison to today,for them it was a completely different world.
Also, I'm my dad growing upin western Kentucky, and they raised
us to, you know, goafter anything you want. Definitely you have
to have God at the center ofyour life, but outside of that,
you're going to work hard to getwhat you need to get. And it
created this environment where we thought anythingwas possible, and so we went after
(04:46):
it with hard work and the helpof the Lord, and it helped us
get to where we are as afamily. I have some amazing siblings and
amazing nieces and nephews and overall amazingpeople in my family to be blessed with.
But that brings me to public servicebecause when I go around in District
forty two, from Germantown to Chickasaw, there are amazing, incredible people that
have spent generations in these neighborhoods,and when I look at sometimes when I
(05:08):
knock on those doors, I seemyself. Sometimes I do knock on my
family members' doors because they do livethere too, and that's something it is.
It's great speaking of Joshua Watkins.His websites is vote Joshua Watkins dot
com. You want to learn more, So what would you bring if you
become State rep of District forty two? What's your vision? My vision is
(05:29):
to create the most prosperous district inthe state of Kentucky. And when I
say that, I mean that everyperson in my district has the highest quality
of life possible. And that's avery bold thing to say as a Democrat.
You know, talking to other Democrats, I tell them ninety nine percent
of the things that are top ofour mind we're going to agree upon.
We're going to be on the sameside when it comes to reproductive rights,
(05:49):
We're going to be on the sameside when it comes to human rights and
things like affordable housing and social issues. But bigger than what's important, and
bigger than why it's important, I'vestudied how to be you know, how
to make those things happen, andI think that is important nowadays, the
devil is in the details quote unquote. So when I knock on doors and
(06:10):
I'm talking to a senior and theysay, I've spent my life in this
house. I've raised the family,and my grandkids have come here. But
now I'm on a fixed income andI'm getting priced out of the market.
What do I do? I cantell them about affordable housing creation. I'm
also a realtor. I left thatout too. Oh good, Yeah,
I mean there's probably something else I'mgonna think of. But when they talk
about that, when people in ourcommunities talk about houselessness, and I can
(06:33):
talk about how four years ago Ihelped to create the Homeless Services Division in
Louisville Metro Government and how we needa comprehensive system to really address some of
the challenges that are facing our citizens. And people want to know how to
get things done. I mean they'retired of being I think, polarized and
pulled from any side of the spectrum. And any media platform can do that
(06:57):
to you. But I think that'swhat separates me. Yeah, we're out
of time, but I appreciate youtelling me. You know how things set
up for you and what you havesuch a nice, infectious joy about you.
Thank you, and I can Ican hear the preacher come out when
you say Devil into details too.Oh it's there. I think I'll do
(07:18):
well in Frankfurt. I'll bring somejoy, little charisma and enthusiasm. Nothing
wrong with that. And I seethat shirt you're wearing means you and Ricky
Jones may be in the same fraternity. We are fraternity brothers of the historic
Black Fraternity cap off Side Fraternity,Incorporated. Special shout out to the Louisville
Alumni chapter where I am currently servingas the vice polemart Joshua Watkins and you
(07:42):
can find him online at vote JoshuaWatkins dot com. He's on social media
Joshua for Kentucky, but find himon It's great chatting with you again,
best of us. The primary iscoming up May twenty. First, make
sure you vote, either you doit in advance or you do it on
day of. You know it worksgreat. You've got Joshua and I hope
we cross paths again soon. I'msure we will. Thanks for having me
all right again, Vote Joshua Watkinsdot com. Coming right back on NewsRadio
(08:05):
eight forty w h A s
Hey, Joshua, Hey there,I'm excited. It's nice to be back
with you again. We were ata dinner one night and had a great
conversation and good people and it wasa room filled with a lot of really
smart people, and it was andI noticed state quiet. I strategically placed
my comments too. You have todo that. Yes, all right,
(00:22):
you've been a public servant for along time. I know that this is
your first time. You're running foroffice in as a state rep in District
forty two. Yes, so tofirst tell me about your public service that's
led you up to this time.Absolutely, thanks for the question. So
I've spent ten a little over adecade in the local government, various roles.
I've worked in community development. I'veworked on issues like homelessness, housing
(00:46):
affordability, public safety, and generallymaking government more efficient. I like for
our tax dollars to go as faras they can. So I used to
run the Office of Performance Improvement andcurrently I'm doing strategic initiatives for the current
administration. And it's been a greatten years. As a millennial, I'm
kind of shocked to say I've beensomeplace longer than that. But I joke
(01:08):
around. When I joined Metro government, I had hair on the top of
my head. Well, a lotof people tease your age bracket about oh,
they can't hold a job. Youlove what you do? I do?
I do. I love being apublic servant. There's no rewarding career
better than that. I grew upserving community as well, so it's too
much like right for me. Ithink I know a little bit about you.
(01:29):
I remember from our conversation. You'rean uncle dad. I am an
uncle Dad, the greatest one you'llever meet. Oh, man, that's
a heck of a title to earn. Eight people will say say that that
is true. And isn't there aWorld War two vet in your family?
Yes, there is my great uncleMatthew Watkins, who is in the town
who could tell you. I mean, it's mine is as sharp as anybody,
and we're blessed to have that inmy family. But World War two
(01:52):
veteran has been back to Washington severaltimes to be honored in such patriarch of
our family right now. We lovehim dearly, So shout out to uncle
Matt. You can't learn any strongerlessons from anybody on this earth. The
mom comes first, But if there'sa World War two VET people who lived
through that era. Yeah, itwas a different world. It was a
different world back then, and obviouslylife you know, was significantly different than
(02:17):
the nineteen forties or someone like thatserving their country absolutely coming back in and
facing challenges again. Absolutely, Sotell me who you are today, Joshua,
that you've learned from him and othersin your family, and this puts
you in this spot right now.What is it that you want to bring
to this job as state Rep.I think service to people, service to
(02:37):
your community has been the heart ofsort of my family dynamic. So I
am not from Kentucky originally you maynot notice the twang. It may come
out every now and then, butI grew up in Florida. Actually my
parents and I'm the middle child offive, and we moved to Kentucky what
five months or so before I graduatedhigh school. I thought it was the
end of my life because it's highschool. You want to go gradually.
(03:00):
Were friends and then I came tothis great state and loved it and have
a lot of family. But thenI picked up these things called allergies,
and it was terrible from that regard. But my dad's family is from Hopkinsville,
so Western probably the state. Wehave family all over the state.
Went to undergrad at UK after abrief stand at Murray State University, and
(03:21):
then moved over to Louisville in twentyeleven. But I've been coming here since
two thousand and five. A tonof family here. My uncle Matt that
I talked about, he's just oneof twenty one children, and so I
have a very very big family.Come from a long line of preachers and
service to the community that way.Also a preacher myself, and so yeah,
outside of being the middle child offive, being that middle child meant
(03:42):
I needed to do a lot ofthings to get noticed because that's the middle
child syndrome. So it was athletics, it was academics. I'm an insatiable
reader. I love to cook,I have a dog. I am an
uncle dad, and I like towrite music and serve my community on different
boards. I like to sing,and yeahttle bit little something for everybody.
If you're trying to get to knowme, I didn't want to interrupt you,
(04:02):
but that twenty one children thing isa big note there. Yeah,
that's a very big thing. That'sa lot of learning to go. I'm
one of fourteen. I know howthat teaches lessons about fruitg gality, oh
yeah, and discipline, structure.All those things are part of you.
They have to be because of whereyou come from. Absolutely so my parents,
(04:23):
you know, being born in fiftyfour and fifty seven, just like
Uncle Matt in comparison to today,for them it was a completely different world.
Also, I'm my dad growing upin western Kentucky, and they raised
us to, you know, goafter anything you want. Definitely you have
to have God at the center ofyour life, but outside of that,
you're going to work hard to getwhat you need to get. And it
created this environment where we thought anythingwas possible, and so we went after
(04:46):
it with hard work and the helpof the Lord, and it helped us
get to where we are as afamily. I have some amazing siblings and
amazing nieces and nephews and overall amazingpeople in my family to be blessed with.
But that brings me to public servicebecause when I go around in District
forty two, from Germantown to Chickasaw, there are amazing, incredible people that
have spent generations in these neighborhoods,and when I look at sometimes when I
(05:08):
knock on those doors, I seemyself. Sometimes I do knock on my
family members' doors because they do livethere too, and that's something it is.
It's great speaking of Joshua Watkins.His websites is vote Joshua Watkins dot
com. You want to learn more, So what would you bring if you
become State rep of District forty two? What's your vision? My vision is
(05:29):
to create the most prosperous district inthe state of Kentucky. And when I
say that, I mean that everyperson in my district has the highest quality
of life possible. And that's avery bold thing to say as a Democrat.
You know, talking to other Democrats, I tell them ninety nine percent
of the things that are top ofour mind we're going to agree upon.
We're going to be on the sameside when it comes to reproductive rights,
(05:49):
We're going to be on the sameside when it comes to human rights and
things like affordable housing and social issues. But bigger than what's important, and
bigger than why it's important, I'vestudied how to be you know, how
to make those things happen, andI think that is important nowadays, the
devil is in the details quote unquote. So when I knock on doors and
(06:10):
I'm talking to a senior and theysay, I've spent my life in this
house. I've raised the family,and my grandkids have come here. But
now I'm on a fixed income andI'm getting priced out of the market.
What do I do? I cantell them about affordable housing creation. I'm
also a realtor. I left thatout too. Oh good, Yeah,
I mean there's probably something else I'mgonna think of. But when they talk
about that, when people in ourcommunities talk about houselessness, and I can
(06:33):
talk about how four years ago Ihelped to create the Homeless Services Division in
Louisville Metro Government and how we needa comprehensive system to really address some of
the challenges that are facing our citizens. And people want to know how to
get things done. I mean they'retired of being I think, polarized and
pulled from any side of the spectrum. And any media platform can do that
(06:57):
to you. But I think that'swhat separates me. Yeah, we're out
of time, but I appreciate youtelling me. You know how things set
up for you and what you havesuch a nice, infectious joy about you.
Thank you, and I can Ican hear the preacher come out when
you say Devil into details too.Oh it's there. I think I'll do
(07:18):
well in Frankfurt. I'll bring somejoy, little charisma and enthusiasm. Nothing
wrong with that. And I seethat shirt you're wearing means you and Ricky
Jones may be in the same fraternity. We are fraternity brothers of the historic
Black Fraternity cap off Side Fraternity,Incorporated. Special shout out to the Louisville
Alumni chapter where I am currently servingas the vice polemart Joshua Watkins and you
(07:42):
can find him online at vote JoshuaWatkins dot com. He's on social media
Joshua for Kentucky, but find himon It's great chatting with you again,
best of us. The primary iscoming up May twenty. First, make
sure you vote, either you doit in advance or you do it on
day of. You know it worksgreat. You've got Joshua and I hope
we cross paths again soon. I'msure we will. Thanks for having me
all right again, Vote Joshua Watkinsdot com. Coming right back on NewsRadio
(08:05):
eight forty w h A s
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