Corbin Commissioner Dennis Lynch remembered as man who always put city first

A two-term Corbin City Commissioner died suddenly Monday evening, a day after he suffered a serious heart attack that forced him to be hospitalized.

During the regular monthly meeting of the Corbin City Commission Monday, Mayor Willard McBurney interrupted a heated debate over funding of the town’s Main Street Program to announce Lynch’s death.

The announcement shocked the crowd, many of who gasped when they heard the news. McBurney was visibly shaken when told of Lynch’s death.

After the meeting, the mayor said Lynch was a valuable member of the commission who will be sorely missed.

"Dennis really cared about Corbin. He loved Corbin," McBurney said. "He always wanted things to be good and nice in Corbin. He was very concerned about how the citizens’ money was spent. He was a good watchdog. We are going to really miss having him on the Commission."

McBurney said Lynch had been hospitalized at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London after suffering the heart attack Sunday. He said he visited Lynch Monday afternoon shortly after he underwent medical procedures to reopen blocked arteries. Lynch had previous heart problems and had stints installed in two of his main arteries.

Lynch’s son, Ricky Lynch, said Tuesday that his dad suffered from a number of medical problems including a degenerative lung disease. He was 78-years-old.

To the end, Dennis Lynch was concerned about the welfare of the city and even was preparing to attend Monday’s meeting at city hall.

"Sunday he told me where to go to get the keys to go down the city hall and get all his mail and all the papers for their meeting Monday," Ricky Lynch said. "We took it up there and read over all of it … I thought he was on his way up. He seemed to be recovering. He was even talking about trying to go to the meeting Monday."

Ricky Lynch said his father had not visited a home he owned in Cape Coral, FL in nearly six years simply because he felt there was too much pressing business to attend to in Corbin.

"He always told me he just couldn’t go that there were important things going on here," Ricky Lynch said. "He always put the city first. He was always worried about everything working right in the city."

To prove his dedication, Ricky Lynch said his father never set foot inside Wal-Mart, instead preferring to shop at stores inside the city. Also, he said his dad rarely ate at a restaurant outside the city limits.

"He never walked in a Wal-Mart in his lifetime. He thought it was bad for the town," Ricky Lynch said. "He was just always trying to do what was best for the economy in Corbin."

Lynch served on the Commission for near three and a half years. He was in his second two-year term and was seeking a third with plans to be on the ballot for November’s Primary Election. Prior to his time on city commission, Lynch served for about 18 years on the town’s Tourism Commission. He was chairman of that board before his departure.
Former Corbin Mayor and City Commissioner Amos Miller said Lynch was instrumental in the construction of the Corbin Civic Center.

Betty Comer, owner of Gibson’s Music and a two-time member of the Tourism Commission, served with Lynch on the board and said he was always concerned about the fiscal responsibility to citizens.

"I never really knew him before I served with him on Tourism, but I grew to love and respect him," Comer said. "He was very conscientious and dedicated in his service to the Tourism Board. He was also very strict in following the rules in managing tourism money. He treated it like it was his money. He knew we had a very large responsibility and he was serious about that."

McBurney said Lynch was a very hands-on Commissioner and echoed Comer’s characterization of him as being a jealous steward of the city coffers. He also said Lynch was keenly interested in construction projects going on in the city, and would often sit and watch from his truck for hours during site work and construction of the Southeast Kentucky Agriculture and Exposition Center in south Corbin – the city’s largest ever construction undertaking.

"He had kind of a background in construction because he had been involved with a lot of it. He had a lot of knowledge about that stuff and he was very interested in it," McBurney said. "He just knew things about that that some of us didn’t. He was very valuable to this city."

Lynch is part owner of Forest Hills Shopping Center and Commonwealth Plaza, another shopping center in south Corbin. He also owned the Advanced Auto Parts building in south Corbin and was one of the owners and developers of a new subdivision being built on Scuffletown road.

Lynch is the second city commissioner this year unable to complete his term. City Commissioner Bruce Farris suffered a debilitating stroke in February and has not been to a meeting since.

Corbin City Clerk Erin Blount said Tuesday that the Mayor has 30 days from the time a sitting commissioner dies to appoint a replacement. The appointee would have to be approved by a majority of remaining commissioners.
McBurney said he does not yet have anyone in mind to replace Lynch.

Ricky Lynch said if asked, he likely would not serve the remainder of his father’s term.

"I just don’t have the business sense he’s got. I just don’t feel it would be right," he said. "There’s a lot more people that is more qualified than me."

O’Neil Funeral Home in Corbin will be handling funeral arrangements. Visitation for Lynch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thursday. His funeral will be held at Central Baptist Church at 2:00 p.m. Friday. He will be laid to rest at Cumberland Memorial Gardens in Lily.