Leticia Cline (left) being sworn in by attorney Bobby Richardson (right) after a 3-2 vote at Thursday’s special called meeting. Gage Wilson/for Glasgow News 1
By GAGE WILSON
for Glasgow News 1
After its previous meeting, the Cave City City Council decided to have a special-called meeting Thursday, Jan. 23, to fill the vacant seat left by Eddie Spradlin, who failed to be sworn in before the deadline.
With all members present, the council moved to nominate citizens for the vacant seat. Councilwoman Beverly Ford was the first to recommend Leticia Cline, owner of Ace Coffee Company and director of the BLDG of Cave City.
Councilman Denny Doyle followed by nominating Peggy Pippin, who had recently served on the council, filling the vacancy left by the late Steve Pedigo.
“I would hope whoever gets on this council will support any revenue source that we can find… because if you go to the federal or state government to ask for free money and if you aren’t doing everything that you can, kiss those grants goodbye,” Doyle said before the vote.
With three of the five votes from Ford, Brandon Wright, and Ronald Coffey, Cline was elected to the council seat. After the decision, Cline addressed the council, asking if she could “be sworn in tonight,” to which City Attorney Bobby Richardson agreed.
“I would like to bring something that I think a lot of people are scared of, and that’s change,” Cline said. “But that change brings growth and development in this community. I also want to focus on the citizens that live here, and that means finding funding and appropriating it appropriately.”
Having gained political experience since her first term in 2020, Cline alluded to her strategy, saying, “I learned from the last time I ran not to say anything beforehand. I was pretty forthright in the beginning, so this time it’s going to be kind of a Trojan Horse.”
While the evening was largely filled with cheers and applause, a brief outburst occurred shortly after the vote. A woman who identified herself as Eddie Spradlin’s mother decried the results, accusing Cline of harassing her son with calls to his workplace. The woman claimed these alleged actions contributed to Spradlin’s decision not to assume office.
Cline denied the accusations. “He [Spradlin] was sworn into another office in Hardin County, and you cannot be sworn into two offices in the state of Kentucky. So the only thing I had done was ask the Attorney General’s office if that was legal,” she said.
Cline further clarified that her inquiry was in response to messages she had received asking her to investigate the matter.
“A lot of people are afraid to do anything, and I am not, so I’m usually the ‘bad guy’,” she laughed. “But I have never called his work.”
The law referenced by Cline is KRS 61.080, which states: “No person shall, at the same time, fill a county office and a municipal office. Notwithstanding the fact that consolidated local governments have both municipal and county powers, persons who hold the office of mayor or legislative council member of a consolidated local government shall not thereby be deemed to hold both a county office and a municipal office. Officers of consolidated local governments shall not, at the same time, fill any other county or municipal office.”
Director of Internal Affairs Eric Lewis with the Hardin County Detention Center confirmed Spradlin is employed at the jail.
As the tension in the room dissipated, Cline shared her enthusiasm for her return to the Cave City Council. “I am very excited to be your voice, and I cannot wait for the future and for all of us to work together.”
Spradlin received nine more votes than Cline in the November 2024 city council election to win the seat.
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