By Jay Compton

jay.compton@middlesboronews.com

Middesboro lawyer Jessie Moberg has filed to run for Bell County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Moberg has practiced law in Bell County since 2016. She received her Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School and her Master of Business Administration from Lincoln Memorial University. She is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as well as the Federal District Court of Eastern Kentucky.

Moberg served one term on the Middlesboro City Council and withdrew from running for re-election to take a position as assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2020. Since 2021 she has served as the Middlesboro City Attorney, working with the administrations of former Mayor Rick Nelson and current Mayor Boone Bowling.

“Being the former assistant I understand what this role is and the importance of it here in Bell County. This is where I’ve chosen to raise my family — my husband and I have three children and we live right here in Middlesboro,” she said. “The safety and well-being of Bell County citizens is my primary focus. That’s very important to me and why I’ve decided to run for Commonwealth’s Attorney.”

Since 2016 she has operated a private practice in Bell County and had the privilege of representing many individuals, businesses and organizations in a wide variety of legal matters.

Moberg has also been a volunteer and a board member with Crater of Hope and calls herself a social worker at heart.

“Crater of Hope is a substance use disorder prevention organization. We help people get coordinated into treatment, try to help people in recovery when they come home, whatever we can do to help people. We all know that’s the biggest problem in our community,” she said. “A lot of people who are charged with crime, it’s underlying a substance abuse problem. That’s not to so say that I wouldn’t be hard on drug traffickers — I absolutely would. But I want to be able to help those first-time drug possession offenders when I can.”

She said she would be aggressive, strategic and ethical in prosecuting crime and will “bring back professionalism to the office” as Commonwealth’s Attorney.

“Karen Greene Blondell was in this position for 27 years and I think it’s important to bring back that level of professionalism and ethical prosecution,” Moberg said. “We need to move cases forward. There is a large backlog of cases dating back to COVID and things that have been pending for years.”

Moberg is the only Democrat to file to run for Commonwealth’s Attorney. Incumbent Lisa Fugate and Mike Taylor are running against each other in the Republican primary.

Originally from Michigan, Jessie moved to Middlesboro with her husband, Erick, in 2014. They have three children.

“I look forward to meeting every possible voter to ask for their vote for Commonwealth’s Attorney,” she said.