Carrie practices Municipal Corporate Law exclusively for the City of Somerset and serves as the City’s Legislative Advisor and Chief Legal Counsel. She serves the City by providing legal advice, counseling, representation and advocacy to the City’s elected officials, the Mayor, and City Department Managers including all non-elected City Officers. As General Counsel for the City of Somerset, Carrie provides legal services regarding in-house legal matters such as daily and long-term advisement in local and   state legislative drafting and interpretation; administrative law/policy drafting, interpretation, and compliance; regulatory compliance with local,state, and federal agencies in areas such as utility services (Water, Sewer,and Natural Gas); emergency services (EMS, Fire, and Police) management and liability; employment law; real estate; procurement policies and procedures under the KY Model Procurement Code, as well as general procurement law;federal and state grant/loan award administration with agencies such as USDA,RD, FAA, and EDA; contracts in all areas (drafting and interpretation); risk management and safety, including insurance coverage interpretations and disputes; mediation/alternative dispute resolutions; and Open Records/Open Meetings laws (interpretation and compliance). As General Counsel for the City of Somerset, Carrie has been intimately involved in developing and operating the City’s 140+ mile Natural Gas pipeline which extends across several counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is used for both transmission of natural gas, as well as distribution to major US pipelines   and corporate/individual consumers. The City is currently constructing a one-of-a-kind Energy Center with funding provided by the US Department of Agriculture which will serve as an energy hub for the City’s Natural Gas System, as well as house all municipal departments and space for future public use. During Carrie’s time in service as General Counsel for the City of Somerset, and under the guidance of the current administration and City Council, the City of Somerset has continued to profit and grow by expanding the City’s Natural Gas operation and transportation systems in Eastern Kentucky providing jobs and educational opportunities to citizens across the Commonwealth. Although the City consists of approximately 11,000 (per 2010 US Census) residents, the City serves and is responsible for water to over 100,000 customers, including water districts and other municipalities that purchase water wholesale for re-sale to the public. The City’s sewer service also serves nearly 100,000 people and is state of the art, built by the use of Federal funds/grants, and state administered federal funding.

EDUCATION:

University of Kentucky (B.A., Psychology, Cum Laude, 1997); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D. 2001).

BAR ADMISSION; BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS:

Carrie was admitted for practice by the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) upon graduation from law school in 2001; Carrie is also admitted to practice law in the U.S.   District Courts of the Eastern District of Kentucky; She is a member of the local Pulaski County Bar Association.

SERVICE ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS:

Municipal Attorneys Association of Kentucky (MAAK) – Carrie serves as a member of the   Board of Directors, and also serves the organization by holding the office of Secretary; Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) – Carrie serves on the Board of Directors to this state-wide organization committed to preventing Child   Abuse in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and serves on both the Resource Development Committee, as well as the External Affairs Committee; Kentucky   Administrative Adjudicators of Kentucky (KAAA) – Carrie is a member of the   KAAA which educates members on effective Administrative Adjudication in the Commonwealth. Carrie also volunteers for local organizations such as the American Cancer Society and Smoke-Free Kentucky, and is a member of St. Mildred’s Catholic Church.

BACKGROUND:

Carrie was born and raised in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. She graduated from Somerset Independent High School with honors earning a Commonwealth Diploma in 1993. She graduated from the University of Kentucky, Cum Laude, with a BA in Psychology, and following a year hiatus from studies, attended UK College of Law where she earned her JD in 2001. Carrie has always practiced public service law beginning as a Law Clerk for the 28th Judicial Circuit in Somerset, KY, and thereafter serving the community in positions such as Assistant County Attorney for Pulaski County, and as Regional Attorney for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Lake Cumberland Region prior to joining the Executive Branch of the City of Somerset in January 2007. She is the first full-time City Attorney in Somerset’s history, and only the second woman to serve as City Attorney since the City’s incorporation in 1883. Carrie, her husband, and their two children reside in downtown Somerset.