Election 2026

Boone Chambers: Candidate for Calloway County Judge-Executive

The Sentinel asked candidates about underserved county residents, spending priorities and how they would handle appointments to county boards and commissions.

Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2026 11:13 am

About this election coverage

The Murray Sentinel invited all candidates in the contested local races on the Nov. 3 ballot to submit an introductory statement of up to 400 words and answer three office-specific questions, with a limit of 100 words per answer.

Invitations were sent to the email addresses candidates registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office. All candidates in each race were sent the same questions, submission guidelines and deadline.

Candidate statements and responses are published without editing or reformatting, including any errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation. Submissions exceeding the stated word limits are cut off at those limits.

Sentinel Staff

Candidate statement

How y’all doing? I’m Boone Chambers, and I am asking for your vote for Calloway County Judge/Executive on November 3.

I am not a career politician. I have never worked inside government, unless you count my stint as Curris Center night manager in college. What I have done is run businesses in this county for over twenty years. I grew up in the Big Apple Café, managed it, and owned it until 2018. My partners and I built Cellar Door Wine & Spirits and Thoroughbred Spirits from one store in Murray into a small chain. My wife and I run Always Something Acres, a multi-species livestock farm. Calloway High ’97, Murray State ’04, four kids, lived here my whole life. I know what it means to meet a payroll, balance a budget, and answer to customers every single day. That is the resume I bring to the county’s chief executive job.

Why am I running? Because the Judge/Executive can do more than manage the perpetual issues of roads, public safety, the jail, and the animal shelter. Those will always be top priorities. But the biggest opportunity I see is cooperation and growth. If Calloway County, the City of Murray, and Murray State work as one community instead of three, we can share resources instead of duplicating them, save taxpayer dollars, improve essential services, and invest in the things that help people stay here and thrive: parks, the lake area, recreation, and good jobs.

What do I hope to accomplish? I have put out a First 100 Days plan, and it is specific. Find real savings in the county budget by going through it line by line, so every park and community program the county funds stays whole. Sit down one-on-one with every county employee, department head, and elected official and rework our administrative code so county business is done differently. Get the county, city, and university public-safety leaders in the same room. Put a sensible data center ordinance on the books so the moratorium can end early. Give the county a clear, common-sense policy on artificial intelligence. Move Fiscal Court meetings to the evening so working people can attend. And every Friday, keep driving this county and listening, like I have all campaign.

The choice is black and white: the status quo or a new direction. I would be honored to have your vote.

See y’all on the trail.

Questions and answers

Which populations or areas of Calloway County do you believe are currently underserved by county government, and what would you do to address their needs?

Our rural communities. Calloway County has the fourth-most county road miles in Kentucky, and the state’s road aid formula does not keep up with that. Folks out in the county feel it every day. I would put roads at the front of the line in every budget, go after every dollar of outside funding, and keep driving the county every Friday to see it for myself. Second, our young people. They want good jobs, housing they can afford, and reasons to stay. Growth through cooperation with the city and Murray State is how the county does its part.

When the county’s financial resources are insufficient to meet every need, how would you determine which services and projects receive priority?

Same way I have done it in business for twenty years: essentials first, then find the waste before you cut anything that matters. Roads, public safety, the jail, and emergency services get funded, period. Then I go through the check register line by line, because that is where the savings hide. My goal in the first 100 days is to find enough savings that every park and community program the county supports stays whole. Big projects have to carry their own weight through user fees, partnerships, and grants, not a property tax increase.

The judge/executive plays a role in appointing members to county boards and commissions. How would you approach those appointments and ensure the process is transparent and fair?

Post every opening. Every board vacancy gets published on the county website and social media with what the board does, what the job requires, and a simple way to apply. Anybody can put their name in. I will weigh qualifications and whether the board already has that perspective, and talk to the magistrates before I bring a name forward. The appointment and the reason get stated in open court, not just a name read off a list. Boards are where a lot of the real work happens, and y’all deserve to know who is doing it and why.