As in years past, the race for Bowling Green City Commission seats has attracted a crowded field.

With two filings Tuesday, the last day to file for November’s general election, the number of candidates vying for the four seats reached 11 and includes all the current commissioners.

Incumbent Dana Beasley-Brown, seeking a third term on the city commission, filed Tuesday along with another familiar name, former Commissioner Joe Denning.

“I am running for reelection because I know when we come together we have the power to build a brighter future for everyone who calls Bowling Green home,” said Beasley-Brown, coordinator of the youth services center at Bowling Green Junior High School.

Denning, whose record of public service includes stints in law enforcement and on the Bowling Green school board as well as years of service as a city commissioner, is trying to return to the city commission after falling short in the 2020 election.

“All my adult life I’ve been in public service,” said Denning, 75. “I’ve been encouraged by a lot of people to run again. I believe those people think I still have something to offer.”

Others filing in the final days before the deadline include incumbent Commissioner Carlos Bailey, Justin Chaffin, Nathan Morguelan and Don Langley.

Bailey, an attorney who is serving his first term as a commissioner, believes work remains to be done on what he sees as pressing issues.

“Affordable housing is one of the big things for me,” Bailey said. “A lot of apartments are being built in Bowling Green, but I’d like to see more home ownership. There are ways we can help people afford homes.”

Chaffin is a newcomer to the field of candidates, but he believes his years of involvement in the community have prepared him well for public service.

A former teacher and coach in both the Warren County and Bowling Green school systems, Chaffin now works in insurance.

“Over the last two decades, our community has seen unprecedented growth and has provided numerous opportunities for its citizens,” Chaffin said in a news release. “My goal as a city commissioner is to continue this development trend and ensure that all of our residents have access to the benefits.”

Langley and Morguelan aren’t new names on the ballot, both having run before.

Morguelan, 35, co-owner of Bowling Green’s Yellowberri Creative Studios, garnered 3,686 votes in a 2016 race for city commission, finishing seventh in a 12-person field. He filed for the office again in 2018 but later withdrew.

Among Morguelan’s goals is greater representation on the city commission.

“My one major goal is to expand the city commission,” he said. “I don’t think we need only four people running the city. We need more diverse voices.”

Morguelan said he would propose expanding the city commission to six members initially. He believes Bowling Green would benefit from a structure similar to that of Glasgow, which has nine city council members and a mayor.

He’s also in favor of investigating some consolidation of city and county government.

Like Morguelan, Langley has come up short in previous attempts to join the city commission.

He ran unsuccessfully in 2014 and again in 2018, when he received 2,298 votes and finished eighth in a 12-person field.

“My platform is mainly to support veterans’ causes and senior citizens,” said Langley, who has worked in real estate for more than 30 years. “I also support economic equality.”

Those six filers join a field that includes incumbents Sue Parrigin and Melinda Hill along with former Bowling Green Mayor Sandy Jones Boussard, Johnalma Barnett and Stephanie Matthews.

Late filings also included a familiar candidate for county office.

Jim Duffer, a leader of the Warren County Citizens for Managed Growth group that opposed development of the Kentucky Transpark two decades ago, filed Tuesday to run for county judge-executive as an independent.

Duffer, 76, has run three times before for the county’s highest office. He collected the 100 signatures needed to get his name on the ballot along with that of Republican candidate Doug Gorman and Democrat Keith Evanoff.

Encouraged that he was able to collect the signatures to get on the ballot, Duffer said: “A lot of people out there want change.

“One of my main focuses is to do away with the ‘good ol’ boy’ clique that runs the county. We don’t need ‘good ol’ boys’ telling everybody what to do.”

The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8, and there will be three days of early voting on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Election Day.

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.