On the victory lap of his 29-year tenure as Warren County judge-executive, Mike Buchanon is certain about taking pride in the growth and changes in his community. He isn’t so certain about the changes in the political landscape.

“We have a political environment that’s not the most fun anymore,” Buchanon said Wednesday during a speech to the Rotary Club at the Bowling Green Country Club. “When I was first elected, I wanted to get along with everyone, even if we disagreed.

“You can’t disagree agreeably anymore. It’s almost impossible on the state and national levels. That has made it less attractive for me to stay in politics.”

A Republican, Buchanon effectively ended his political career in October 2021, when he revealed to the Daily News that he would not seek another term in the office he has held since 1994.

While deploring today’s hyper-partisanship, Buchanon on Wednesday told the Rotarians that a lack of that party-first mindset has helped Warren County grow.

Pointing to such achievements as the thriving Kentucky Transpark industrial park and downtown developments like Bowling Green Ballpark and the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Buchanon said such growth wouldn’t have been possible had local leaders been protecting their political turf.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a fiscal court and staff who just want to do the right thing for the county,” Buchanon said. “I can think of only one person I served with in 29 years who was actually partisan.

“Fiscal Court is now half Republican and half Democrat, but they vote on what they think is best for the county.”

That county legislative body will have a new look next year, with Buchanon stepping down and at least two of the six magisterial seats changing, but the outgoing chief executive is positive about the county’s trajectory.

“The state of the county has never been better,” Buchanon boasted, pointing to a continuing increase in property tax revenue and an Aa1 bond rating from Moody’s Investors Service that is among the best of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

Buchanon also pointed to recent industrial announcements, including the Envision AESC battery plant expected to employ 2,000 people, as reason for optimism locally.

“Nationally, people are worried about inflation and other things,” he said. “But you don’t have to worry about the state of Warren County and Bowling Green.

“We’re set for future success. Some of the new companies we’ve announced are going to transform our community.”

You could argue that Buchanon’s seven-term tenure has been transformative. The population of the county has swollen from less than 80,000 to nearly 140,000 during his watch, and amenities like parks and recreation venues have increased dramatically.

“It has been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had,” Buchanon said. “It’s gratifying to see the things we’ve accomplished.”

The judge-executive, though, admits to having doubts during the early part of his first term in office.

A road-closing blizzard hit the county, prompting National Guard troops to report to Buchanon, who had to deal with the emergency.

“That made me realize the complexities of the job,” Buchanon recalled. “That blizzard was the hardest thing I thought I’d ever have to go through, then four years later we had the big hail storm.”

Those emergencies, plus the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the December 2021 tornadoes, have been trials in an otherwise enjoyable three decades, Buchanon said.

“About 99% of the time I’ve really enjoyed being judge-executive of Warren County,” he said. “It’s one of the best places in the country.”

As for the future, Buchanon said: “I’m going to try my best to stay involved in the community. This job has been rewarding, but now I’m not going to be on call 24 hours a day.”