Early morning, Owen McNeill stirs in his bed, digesting the last inkling of rest he’ll get for the day. He shuffles out of bed, kisses his wife, pets his onyx-colored dog and hits the road. As Mason County Judge Executive, known to everyone as “Judge,” Owen never fully knows what the day will hold.
Greeting Sherry Brady, his executive assistant, and tax administrator Shannon Taylor, he opens his office door in the Fiscal Court building. Cracking a Redbull, he begins his work. Emails flood his inbox, calls litter his phone. County work never stops. He opens his schedule and sees it’s going to be a normal day — busy.
This normal day will include attending a forum with residents in the five-county Buffalo Trace Area Agency on aging and independent living, held at Maysville Community & Technical College. The judge will then visit a construction project at St. Patrick Cemetery, where the Gethsemane Garden of Kentucky is being built. He anticipates it will bring tourism to Mason County. Overseeing these projects, as well as putting out fires as when pipes burst around the county, take time.
“He never stops,” said Chris O’Hearn, commissioner of County District 2.
When Judge leaves his office, it doesn’t mean the day is over. “Work-life balance? There isn’t one,” he laughed.
Family time with his wife, Tina, and niece, Paisley, is important to him. They see Paisley, 7, about once a month. “Paisley is a real sweet kid,” he said. On outings with Paisley, Judge still has work in mind, asking friends what they think about local issues and looking for problems to fix.
“It’s hard following him around,” said Sherry.
Watching shows and spending fleeting time with his family is how Judge relaxes. He hits the hay early to prepare for the next arduous day. Despite the demands, Judge values his work. “Being born and raised here, I always wanted to get out,” he said. “But when I left, I missed being back.”
