COVINGTON, Ky. – After 12 years of serving the City of Covington, Walt Mace is stepping into a new leadership role as the City’s Director of Neighborhood Services. 

Mace, who was hired by the City in 2014 as its Code Enforcement Manager, was promoted to Assistant Director of Neighborhood Services in 2022. In his new role, he will lead the Neighborhood Services Division, which serves as one of the City’s most direct connections between City government and Covington residents. 

Neighborhood Services, now part of the City’s newly formed Community Development Department, includes the subdivisions of Code Enforcement, Federal Grants, and Parks & Recreation. 

For Mace, the promotion represents another step in a career that has been dedicated entirely to public service. 

Before joining the City, Mace served in the Army and Army National Guard and later spent a career with the U.S. Postal Service, where he worked his way up to become Operations Programs Manager for the Cincinnati District. During his military service, Mace was awarded seven Commendation Medals. 

Mace’s 12 years with the City have given him a unique perspective on Covington and the people who call it home. 

“When I am talking to a resident, even if I am standing on the curb, I am in their home,” Mace said. “Whether they have spent their whole life here or have just arrived, residents of Covington are proud to say this is where they live.” 

Mace said that connection to the community is one of the things that has kept him at the City. 

He originally came to Covington in a part-time role, but over time, his relationship with the City grew into something more. 

“As time went on, I felt the City of Covington becoming more than just somewhere that I worked,” Mace said. “I felt that I belonged here.” 

Now, he can’t imagine doing anything else. 

During his time with the City, Mace has worked on countless neighborhood issues and projects. The work he is most proud of has been the City’s conservatorship effort involving stabilizing and rehabilitating the historic Frank Duveneck house. 

As Director of Neighborhood Services, Mace said one of his top priorities will be to build on the knowledge and experience already within the Division while keeping a strong focus on customer service. 

And when asked what he loves most about Covington, his answer is simple: the people. 

“I am continually impressed by how many neighbors help each other, often anonymously,” Mace said. “The people of Covington are always willing to help one another out.” 

That spirit of neighbor helping neighbor is something Mace said he has seen repeatedly throughout his years working for the City, and something he hopes to carry with him into his new role. 

“Walt has spent more than a decade serving the people of Covington, and his institutional knowledge and commitment to the City's residents make him a tremendous asset to Neighborhood Services,” Brandon Holmes, Executive Director of the City’s Community Development Department, said. “We’re excited to have him take on this new leadership role as we continue strengthening the connection between City government and the neighborhoods we serve.” 

For Mace, his work comes down to a simple idea: making Covington a place where people are proud to live.