Boone County Commissioner Chet Hand and independent Tim Johnson will debate for the county's top office Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in Burlington.

The free event takes place at the Boone County Public Library's Main Library, 1786 Burlington Pike. Former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson will moderate. Norse Media will film and livestream the debate for those who cannot attend in person, the NKY Tribune reported.

Only candidates on the official ballot were invited. Write-in candidate William E. Woods, a Florence resident and small business owner running as a Republican, will be mentioned at the event but will not participate.

Hand, the Republican nominee, won a tight primary on May 19, defeating longtime Judge/Executive Gary Moore with about 52% of the vote. Moore was elected to the seat in 1998. Hand was first elected to the Boone County Commission in 2022 and has more than 14 years in public service, including 10 years in the fire service in Alaska, WCPO reported.

At the April primary debate, also held at the Burlington library, Hand framed county growth as the defining issue. "When it comes to growth, that's going to be the biggest challenge, definitely where the most friction points exist between the residents and the county …" he said at that forum, according to WCPO.

Johnson filed to run as an independent on May 29, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State's office. A licensed aircraft mechanic and Conner High School graduate, Johnson spent more than 19 years at DHL/ASTAR and finished his aviation career at GE Aviation in Evendale. He previously ran for judge/executive in 2022 and for Kentucky House District 78 in 2024.

The event is free.

In a candidate questionnaire in late September, Johnson wrote: "My running for Judge Executive is not about the pay, title, or ambition. I'm offering real transparency so the public can be assured their tax dollars are being put to good use."

Grayson, the moderator, is a Boone County resident and partner at the Florence office of Frost Brown Todd. He served two terms as secretary of state and later directed Harvard University's Institute of Politics. The Boone County Fiscal Court reappointed him to the county Ethics Commission in December 2025.

The judge/executive chairs the Boone County Fiscal Court, which manages the county budget, oversees funds and appoints county personnel. Boone County has grown from about 86,000 residents in 2000 to roughly 135,000 in 2020.

Residents with questions can contact library PR and marketing director Jennifer Cheek at [email protected]. The general election is Nov. 3.