Kim Dudgeon named to Historic Properties Commission

Kim Dudgeon

Kim Dudgeon of Midway is one of two new appointees by Gov. Andy Beshear to the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission, which is responsible for management and conservation of the state Capitol, the Executive Mansion and the Old Governor's Mansion.

The commission was in the news recently after Beshear asked it to recommend removal from the Capitol rotunda the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which had been installed in 1936, before the commission was created. The commission voted to recommend removal, and the only "no" vote was cast by Brandon Wilson of Somerset, whom Beshear replaced with Dudgeon, owner of The Milam House.

Another new appointee was Kenny Bishop of Lexington, the legislative liaison for Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. Bishop was a personal aide to Gray when he was mayor of Lexington and previously for then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher. He replaced Jon Park of Lexington, who said his vote to remove the statue was "reluctant." Park and Wilson were appointed by Republican Matt Bevin, whom Beshear beat in last fall's election; their terms had expired.

Beshear reappointed the commission chair, Steve Collins of Shelbyville, the son of former Gov. Martha Layne Collins. He, Bishop and Dudgeon were appointed to terms expiring Aug. 11, 2024.

Mailers tell very little of the issues in Republican primary for state Senate; answers to papers' questions tell more

By Al Cross

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

               With the pandemic restricting their personal campaigning, and finances keeping them off television, which would be inefficient anyway, the five Republican candidates for the 7th District state Senate seat have relied heavily on mail advertising to reach voters.

               But the messages in the mail, from the candidates and those who support or oppose them, are not always indicative of issues that will face the senator elected in November to replace retiring Democrat Julian Carroll of Frankfort.

Latest U.S. Term Limits mailer; for a larger version, click on it.

               The latest example of that is a card mailed to registered Republicans by U.S. Term Limits, a group that wants the states to call a convention to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution limiting the terms of U.S. representatives and senators.

That would require resolutions from 34 states, and only three states have passed such resolutions. Some opponents of the idea argue that such a convention could not be limited to a single issue, thus making it even more unlikely.

               But U.S. Term Limits presses on, trying to elect state legislators who would support such a convention or defeat candidates who oppose it. First, it mailed a card thanking state Senate candidates Katie Howard of Lawrenceburg and Calen Studler of Frankfort for supporting term limits.

More recently, it mailed a card targeting Cleaver “Kirk” Crawford of Lawrenceburg and Linda Thompson of Frankfort. The other candidate in the Republican primary, Adrienne Southworth of Lawrenceburg, has not been mentioned in the group’s mailers.

               The latest mailer doesn’t expressly urge voters to oppose Thompson and Crawford, but asks them to email Cleaver (giving his address) and to call Thompson (giving her phone number) “and tell them ENOUGH is ENOUGH.”

               Both sides of the card feature President Trump and his endorsement of term limits, in which he says he will push for them. So far, he has not.

               But Trump is a major figure in advertising for the primary, as candidates try to align themselves with a president who has very high approval ratings among registered Republicans. Thompson’s ads use a picture of her with Trump, and a Studler mailer says he will “stand up and support the Trump agenda, not the Beshear agenda,” referring to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

               Asked by The Anderson News what grade he would give Beshear for handling the covid-19 pandemic, Studler said a C, adding, “I don’t doubt the governor’s concern for the people and his intentions to protect the public.”

               Only Southworth gave Beshear a worse grade, a D-minus, saying “He took unconstitutional actions regarding churches, according to several judges.” The U.S. Supreme Court later approved of restrictions like those Beshear placed on mass gatherings without singling out churches.

               Thompson gave Beshear an A, saying “He handled the pandemic in a reassuring and decisive manner.” Crawford gave him a C-plus, saying “His response was quick, but this has gone on far too long.” Howard said, ““I give him an A for controlling the spread,” but a B-minus overall, saying he was “too heavy-handed in his approach to business.”

               The candidates gave the General Assembly covid-19 grades ranging from F (Crawford) to A (Howard, Studler and Thompson).

               In answering questions from the Lawrenceburg newspaper and The State Journal, the candidates laid out more differences among themselves than they have in their advertising, which has emphasized hot-button social issues such as abortion (they’re against it) and guns (they oppose new restrictions).

               Studler has campaigned on his support for a state constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling. Thompson said she favors such an amendment but hasn’t mentioned it in her mailers. Crawford also favors casinos but says he doesn’t want one on “every corner.”

               Howard and Southworth haven’t taken a stand on the issue. Howard says she wants to see “non-partisan research” before taking a stance and Southworth says she would evaluate such proposals in light of “my basic principles of constitutionality, free markets, transparency, and accountability.”

               Studler also endorsed legalized betting on sports, when asked how he would shore up state pensions. Crawford says he would do that by legalizing marijuana, and Thompson says there are “no good options.”

               Again, Howard and Southworth took the least clear positions. Howard simply said she would fully fund pensions, while Southworth said she would pay down debt and “tighten up the leaks.”

               Howard, Southworth and Studler support medicinal marijuana, while Thompson says it should undergo clinical trials to get approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

               Asked to name one area of spending that should be cut, Thompson and Studler said the focus needs to be on generating more revenue. Southworth targeted state administrative expenses in education, Howard called for eliminating odd-year elections, and Crawford said he would reduce welfare rolls with a financial literacy program.

               Voting in the primary concludes June 23. The district is Anderson, Woodford, Franklin, Owen, Carroll and Gallatin counties. The state Senate primary is only for Republicans. State Rep. Joe Graviss of Versailles is unopposed for the Democratic nomination, and independent Ken Carroll will also be on the Nov. 3 ballot.

For a clearer, printable version of the issues table, click on it.

Legislative report: Graviss decries veto overrides, lists some bills that passed during the final two days

By Joe Graviss
State representative for Woodford County and part of Franklin County

Hi everybody,
   Deb and I continue to pray for health and safety, peace and comfort for everyone.
   Under Kentucky’s constitution, two hard deadlines govern legislative sessions in even-numbered years: They cannot last more than 60 working days, and they cannot extend beyond April 15.
   The coronavirus may have shortened the former this year by more than a week, but the House and Senate tested the limits of the latter by adjourning just minutes before midnight on Wednesday, culminating two long days of work.
   By the time the final gavel fell, the General Assembly had regrettably overridden nearly every veto Gov. Andy Beshear had issued and approved more than 30 bills on top of the 91 already now law.
   Except for two constitutional amendments that will go before voters in November, the fate of the new legislation rests entirely in the hands of the governor, who has 10 days, excluding Sunday, to decide whether to accept or reject these bills.
   In the end, this year’s legislative session was truly unlike any other in modern times. I still believe we should have ended our work last month; Gov. Beshear promised to call us back when it was safe to return. More than 20 other state legislatures did adjourn to reduce the chance of spreading the deadly virus, or used technology to conduct business like so many others. At the very least, the General Assembly should have just focused on quickly passing a budget and covid-19-related emergency measures, especially with the public being necessarily excluded right now. While I am grateful we accomplished those twin goals, we also spent more time than necessary on bills that could have been better handled next year when we’re opened back up.
   While technology helped other legislators to vote and ask questions from the relative safety of our legislative offices or vehicles, even that was too risky for some of my elderly colleagues, unfairly limiting what they were elected to do. I was honored to be asked by my leadership to be one of the only six Democrats allowed on the House floor to help coordinate the process with our members those last two days while social distancing.
   Our primary focus during the session’s last two days was considering the governor’s vetoes. He struck down relatively little while asking for maximum flexibility to deal with the pandemic, and he also sought to keep our coal counties and teachers from bearing an unfair burden financially in this budget. These were sensible requests, but unfortunately they were turned down.
   The same thing happened with his veto of Senate Bill 2, which will now require most voters to show a photo ID, starting in November, counting Kentucky as part of a national trend to suppress the vote. Current law already requires voters to provide some form of ID, but this new requirement will add another hurdle for many who may not drive, who may have just moved or who may have changed their name because of marriage.
   There has not been a single verified example of in-person voter fraud in at least 20 years, and while the bill does provide a free ID for those in need of one, there was little discussion about its potentially high cost. Indiana, for example, spent $10 million on personal IDs over several years after enacting a similar law.
   As Gov. Beshear rightfully noted, the indefinite closure of state offices to the public complicates matters further, and if other states attempting this are a guide, this law will likely be struck down by the courts since it was rushed during an election year. Should that happen, it will only add to the confusion and cost.
   With voting in mind, the General Assembly also approved two constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot during the Nov. 3 election. One known as Marsy’s Law would give victims more of a voice in criminal cases, and if this seems familiar, it’s because a similar amendment was approved in 2018. However, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the language voters saw then was too vague, which is why it is being presented again.
   The other amendment would lengthen the terms of district judges and county and commonwealth’s attorneys to eight years, beginning in 2022.
   Some of the other bills to clear the House and Senate this past week would do such things as:

• Help struggling rural hospitals by making them eligible for economic development loans offered by the state;
• Give the state more authority to reduce jail overcrowding by moving inmates to facilities having more room;
• Update accountability guidelines for our schools, so the public can better follow where they are doing well and where more improvement is needed;
• Create a new program that will make it easier for state employees to be a living-organ or bone-marrow donor; and
• Require law-enforcement agencies to document their guidelines for high-speed chases.

   The legislature did consider more covid-related emergency measures, but the most significant of those did not make it through the Republican-controlled Senate. Had it passed, it would have had our restaurants, hospitals, chiropractors and other professional organizations working on plans advising Gov. Beshear for when the time comes to begin lifting restrictions. It passed the House 86 to 3 and I was happy to vote for it after my colleagues agreed to make some logical, helpful changes.
   Despite it not passing, Gov. Beshear did announce this past week that Kentucky was partnering with Indiana, Ohio and several other Midwestern states to come up with regional plans on how and when we restore more normalcy to our lives. That is certainly welcome news.
   Although our work passing laws is done, it is never too late to let me know your views on issues affecting Kentucky. My email address is joe.graviss@lrc.ky.gov, while the toll-free message line is 1-800-372-7181.
   Thanks for all you’re doing, we’re going to get through this, and holler anytime.

City Council adds downtown water station to budget, discusses alternatives for large sidewalk project

The Midway City Council added a downtown water station to the proposed city budget and discussed how to handle a much bigger project, new sidewalks, at its first workshop on Mayor Grayson Vandegrift's proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Meeting by online videoconference, the council approved a motion by Bruce Southworth and seconded by Stacy Thurman to put into the budget $5,000 for a water station on East Main Street, as suggested and priced by Logan Nance. He said it would have a standard fountain and spouts for water bottles and pet bowls. The city has a public water fountain only when City Hall is open.

In his initial budget proposal, Vandegrift proposed spending $50,000 to build a sidewalk on Stephens Street to Sexton Way, which leads to The Homeplace at Midway. Last week, he suggested waiting a year to find grants to expand the project to Brand Street, while assessing the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today he said the pandemic's impact would be uncertain, but noted that the city was already expecting to exceed its occupational-tax forecast by $175,000. He said the city's largest employer, Lakeshore Learning Materials, gave 100 employees two weeks off with pay, and the second-largest, Midway University, is still working (though the campus and farm are closed to the public).

The latest price for the Stephens Street sidewalk is $75,000. Vandegrift said it would have to be built on the north side of the street, because drainage is on the south side, requiring a crossing, and would also require a "fairly long" footbridge over a low spot. Nance said a crossing with lights and signs would help slow speeders, long a problem on Stephens.

Black dots mark original idea for large sidewalk project.
(Google map, adapted) 

Vandegrift said, "We're probably not going to be able to find a grant," for the Stephens sidewalk, and that it would be more economical to have a later, larger project that would include Brand Street, reaching Dudley Street (where another footbridge would be needed) and tying into Walter Bradley Park trails leading to Northside Elementary School. That would qualify the project, or at least part of it, for a Safe Walk to Schools grant, he said.

Thurman said she saw the logic in a combined project, but "We have to really let people know the big picture if we’re gonna put it off a year." Nance said waiting would save $25,000; Vandegrift agreed, noting that the grant would cover 80 percent of eligible costs.

"Part of me thinks we should build the one on Stephens and look for grants later on." Vandegrift said.

John Holloway questioned whether there is room for a sidewalk in the railroad underpass on Brand, and suggested that the grant application could say the route to the school is via Gratz Street, which already has sidewalks. Vandegrift said the engineer he consulted wasn't certain the underpass is wide enough, and the Gratz route could be an option.

"I’d like to see that sidewalk as quickly as possible," Vandegrift said, but "I was worried we might not get the best bang for our buck . . . Going to Gratz might be way smarter. . . . We can do either one."

The mayor agreed with Kaye Nita Gallagher's suggestion that if the project needs extra money, some could be taken from the $25,000 snow-removal budget, most of which has not been used, except to stockpile salt.

The other major point of discussion was the proposed budget of $30,000 for attorney services, up from $21,000 in the current year. Questioned by Nance, Vandegrift said new city attorney Sharon Gold is one of the best lawyers in the state and is charging the city $274 an hour instead of her regular fee, which is more than $300 an hour.

Vandegrift said part of Gold's work is done by lower-priced associates, and the city has less work for its attorney than before because he has six years of mayoral experience and new City Clerk-Treasurer Cindy Foster can write ordinances.

In other business, the council approved a resolution commending Gov. Andy Beshear for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, citing "great leadership" that has been "nonpartisan," a "swift response and a "calm demeanor" in his daily updates, and actions that "protected the most vulnerable" and encouraged citizens "to maintain good social distance and personal hygiene." Vandegrift said the resolution was suggested by an unnamed citizen and written by Nance.

Midway voters offer widely varying reasons for their choices Tuesday, many contrary to party registration

By Kennedy Sabharwal and Grant Wheeler
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

As voters left the polls at Northside Elementary School before lingering clouds finally dispersed Tuesday, many were wrapped up in their winter coats ready to brave the cold weather. Asked how they voted, they had widely varying reasons for their votes in the race between Attorney General Andy Beshear, who carried Midway, and Gov. Matt Bevin.

Beshear and Bevin at their final debate, in Northern Kentucky Oct. 29

The election turned out to be a referendum on the governor and his personality, and even his supporters acknowledged his problems. “I don’t always agree with what he says but I agree with enough,” said Candace Barnes, 60.

Ben Patton, 22, said he “voted for Beshear because I want to be a teacher, and also want to have a pension.” His friend Isaac Hamilton, 21, said likewise: “I also plan on being an educator.”

Some voters spoke only with the guarantee of anonymity, A 72-year-old registered nurse said she voted for Bevin in 2015, but today “I voted for Beshear because I am a retired teacher.” Beshear credited teachers' activism for his victory.

Though she is a registered Democrat, the woman said she voted for Republican Daniel Cameron over Greg Stumbo for attorney general because “My husband knows Stumbo, because he was a lobbyist, and we know he is not very honest, and I just would like to see a young black man in office.”

She said she voted for Heather French Henry for secretary of state “because I have met her personally and she is a woman of dignity and honesty.” Henry won Midway but lost the county and state; Stumbo carried the city precinct but lost the rural one, the county and the state.

A registered independent who is a marketer said, “I voted for Beshear because I don’t like Bevin and what he has done and how he has treated teachers.”

The woman said that her vote for attorney general was somewhat influenced by President Trump, but to the contrary; she said she voted for Stumbo because Trump supported Cameron.

Several said they voted contrary to their party registration. A 68-year-old retired City of Frankfort employee said he is a registered Democrat, but “believe it or not, I voted Republican all the way. … They fuss about Bevin causin’ so much trouble, but sometimes you gotta stir it up.”

His wife, a 69-year-old retired state worker, said she also voted to re-elect Bevin “because he is trying to straighten things out.”

On the other hand, a 25-year-old man who manages a restaurant in Woodford County said he used to be a registered Republican but became a Democrat because his thoughts aligned more with the Democratic Party and “I voted straight Democrat.”

A man in his 30s said he voted for Democrat Jack Conway against Bevin in 2015, but was for Bevin this time. “I’m in the horse industry,” he explained. “Bevin has hired people that he knows that know the business.” The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has allowed "instant racing," a form of betting that closely resembles slot machines.

Beshear wants to raise revenue by expanding gambling further, which worries the voter. “The sitting governor has the ability to do away with instant racing,” he said. “Once you do free-standing casinos, the horsemen and the farm stuff get none of that funding” from the state.

The man said he likes Bevin's frankness, likening it to the approach of President Trump, but for some other voters, Trump was a negative.

A 74-year-old Democrat from Midway said she voted for Beshear, called Bevin “mean and thoughtless” and added, “Trump's been in the picture for him; we are Kentucky; it’s about us.”

A 51-year-old registered nurse Bevin's ties to Trump made her “far less likely to vote for him.” She and a University of Kentucky student said they voted for Beshear “He’s screwing over teachers, and I want to be a music teacher eventually,” the student said. “I don’t like his personality or his policies and I want him out.”

On the other hand, a 73-year-old man said he likes Bevin because he is “straightforward and has the guts to say somethin’ like how we shouldn’t have sanctuary cities.” Kentucky has no such cities, Beshear cited that in saying that he saw no need for a law banning them.

The man said voted straight Republican. “What the left says, which is primarily Democratic, is not feasible,” he said. “Everything they say is just an attempt to get votes.”

Information for this story was also gathered by UK journalism student Garrett Burton.

Midway area favors Beshear over Bevin, and Henry over Adams; city voters favor Stumbo over Cameron

By Al Cross and Garrett Burton
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway voters favored Attorney General Andy Beshear for governor and all but one other Democrat for statewide office in Tuesday's election. Those in the rural Midway precinct, which includes some areas near Versailles, supported Beshear and one other Democrat but otherwise voted Republican.

Beshear precincts in blue, Bevin in red

Beshear won the city precinct with 494 votes, 54 percent of the total, to 252 for Republican Gov. Matt Bevin and 15 for John Hicks, who ran a very limited campaign on the Libertarian ticket. In the rural precinct, Beshear won 283 to 226 to 15. He carried Woodford County with 6,235 votes, 53.1% of the total, to Bevin's 5,277 and Hicks' 227. Bevin carried the county by 100 votes in 2015.

Voters interviewed at the polls, who generally declined to give their names, had more to say about Bevin than about Beshear. A woman in her 30s said she voted against Bevin “mainly because he is so disrespectful to many people on many levels, and I don’t like that representing Kentucky.”

A Republican in his 30s said he voted for Beshear, and Democrat Jack Conway in 2015. “Mostly, I don’t care for Bevin,” he said. “There’s definitely a personality component to it, but I disagree with a lot of the policy decisions.”

On the other hand, a 72-year-old Democrat said he voted for Bevin because “I believe he is a better person” and things overall have been going well for the state.

Bevin was the only Republican to lose a partisan race in Kentucky on Tuesday. Woodford voters favored Democrat Heather French Henry for secretary of state, 6,067 (51.9%) to 5,622 for statewide winner Michael Adams. Henry carried the county by the same percentage, 6,067 to 5,622. She won the city precinct 485 to 273 and the rural precinct 282 to 239.

Republican candidates Daniel Cameron and Ryan Quarles
campaigned in the Foothills Festival parade in Albany Oct. 18.

In other races, Woodford voters favored Republicans. However, in the race for attorney general in the Midway city precinct, Democrat Greg Stumbo ran ahead of countywide and statewide winner Daniel Cameron, getting 434 votes to Cameron's 312. Cameron won the rural Midway precinct 270 to 248.

City voters also favored Sheri Donahue over state Auditor Mike Harmon, 416 to 302, and Michael Bowman over state Treasurer Allison Ball, 384 to 358. The Republican incumbents won the rural precinct, Harmon getting 52% and Ball 59%. Ball got the most votes of any statewide candidate.

The partisan allegiances of the two precincts were further indicated by the number of voters who cast straight-ticket ballots. In the city, straight-party voting was 232 Democratic, 159 Republican and 4 Libertarian. In the rural precinct, it was 129 Republican, 120 Democratic and 3 Libertarian.

Robert Haley Conway

The sole Republican winner in the city was Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, who defeated fellow Georgetown resident Robert Haley Conway, who attends Midway Presbyterian Church. It was close; Quarles won the city precinct with 382 votes to 348 for Conway and 16 for Libertarian Josh Gilpin. Quarles won the county precinct 340 to 174 to 6. The countywide results were Quarles 7,158 (61.8%), Conway 4,106 (35.46%) and Gilpin 316 (2.7%). Statewide, Quarles won 58.2% to 38.6%.

Turnout in the election was much higher than expected: 42 percent statewide and 54.6 percent in Woodford. Asked why, Midway precinct officer Helen Rentch said, "Competiton." The governor's race was known to be close (Beshear won by fewer than 5,000 votes in unofficial returns) and both sides mounted major efforts to get out the vote. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said turnout in the city precinct was 56 percent.

Opinion: State Rep. Joe Graviss, fellow Democrat offer alternative to Republican governor's plan for pensions

By state Reps. Joe Graviss, D-Frankfort, and Buddy Wheatley, D-Covington

With Gov. Bevin expected to call a special legislative session soon to pass his public pension plan, we are reminded of Henry Ford, who famously said his customers could have cars painted “any color, so long as it’s black.”

For weeks now, the debate has focused solely on the governor’s bill and a few tweaks he’s made. Legislators have been told that he wants an up-or-down vote on his bill, specifically, and that we would be free to make additional changes in 2020. But there are other, less bumpy routes leading to the same destination.

The two of us serve on the General Assembly’s Public Pension Oversight Board and have a thorough understanding of the damage the governor’s bill would do if enacted. We share the same goal of protecting our public health departments, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, regional public universities and other quasi-governmental agencies from a crushing 68 percent increase in pension costs, starting in July. This bill, however, is not the way to do it.

Governor Bevin’s bill offers these critical agencies and universities massive debts; costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars; harms the nation’s worst-funded public retirement system; and it would severely undermine retirement security for potentially thousands of career employees who have dedicated their lives to public service – not to mention it would face likely legal challenges which would put us all back to square one.

The governor’s plan freezes these agencies’ payments to Kentucky Retirement Systems for a year, and we agree on that. It’s the long-term fix we differ on.

Our recommendations – think of them as different colors on Henry Ford’s Model T – are faster, cheaper, and far more legal.

The first necessary change is slightly increasing the projected investment target that KRS uses for the fund that these quasi-governmental agencies and state government pay into.

The KRS Board of Trustees dropped the rate dramatically in 2017 to the lowest in the country, when that decrease should have been phased in over years. We propose moving it up slightly, where it still remains the lowest public retirement plan target in the country, but more closely aligns with KRS’s actual investment experience over the last decade.

Second, our plan recommends an annual payroll growth of 1%, versus the 0% KRS now uses. State government has already shrunk to levels not seen since the 1970s, but basing pension contributions on 0% growth over the next 24 years is unrealistic and unfair, given a growing population and the need for employee raises to combat inflation.

A third hallmark of our plan is a five-year shift in excess payments from the retiree health insurance fund to the pension side of the ledger. All normal costs continue to be properly funded to maintain the health fund.

This will not put at risk current or future benefits – the fund would have all it needs during those five years and still be fully funded by the end of the amortization period – and we have already set aside much more money for retiree health insurance than most other states. Many retiree health systems, in fact, have no savings at all, choosing instead to pay for actual costs month to month.

Finally, we think it is prudent to freeze the employer contribution rates that the quasi-governmental agencies currently pay KRS. They are paying KRS almost 50 percent of their payroll now and can’t afford anything higher.

This is very reasonable because this retirement fund is seeing a positive cash flow. We can revisit this freeze in the future, if KRS investments ever suffer a sustained downturn. Using a 20-year investment horizon also helps smooth the peaks and valleys.

Taken together, these proposals erase the long-term liabilities faster than the governor’s plan, and they do it without illegally reducing employee benefits or harming the quasi-governmental agencies that are already in a precarious financial position.

We did not get in this situation overnight, and it will not be solved overnight. Public employee retirement plans are similar to a 30-year home mortgage. While it would be great to have 360 monthly payments in the bank, the reality is that we don’t have it or need it all right now.

Our plan is much like restructuring the mortgage so that the bank does not take the home. By making modest adjustments to the terms of the loan to lower payments, we can still pay it off within a year of what the current law already calls for.

Unlike the governor’s bill, our recommendations maintain current services in a way that still meets the long-term goal of making KRS more solvent. Our plan won’t be tied up in court because of legally questionable actions; it won’t force some of our most critical agencies to close their doors; and it allows a quality workforce to continue serving you.

At the very least, members of both parties and stakeholders should be able to sit down and discuss this as a viable alternative. We stand ready and willing to work with any of our colleagues who are seeking to do the most good for the most people at the best price.

Kentucky taxpayers and those with a vested interest in the outcome deserve nothing less.

Carroll says he will retire, endorses Graviss to succeed him in Senate; Vandegrift considers run for the House

State Sen. Julian Carroll (Legislative Research Commission photo)

By Steve Stewart
The State Journal

Former governor and current state Senator Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, won’t seek re-election next year and has endorsed state Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, as his successor.

Graviss, a former McDonald’s franchisee who won election to the state House in November, told the Frankfort Rotary Club on Wednesday that he plans to run for the seat, which covers Franklin, Woodford, Anderson, Owen and Gallatin counties.

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told the Midway Messenger Wednesday night that he may run to succeed Graviss. " I’d love to bring my experience as mayor of Midway to Frankfort in representing the 56th District," he said in an email. "There’s still nine months until the filing deadline, and I need to discuss it more with my family, but I’m strongly considering it."

Carroll said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon that he informed members of the Senate Democratic Caucus several months ago that he would retire at the end of his current term on Dec. 31, 2020, and that he would support Graviss in the 2020 election.

State Rep. Joe Graviss (LRC photo)

“I told Joe some time ago that I thought he was the most qualified candidate who had talked to me about running,” Carroll said. “He’s done an outstanding job already as a new member of the House. He has been very knowledgeable with the ability to stand on his feet and express himself well and I know that he would be very helpful to our caucus in raising funds and helping elect and re-elect members of our caucus. For that reason, I told him I felt like he was the most qualified candidate that I could think of and that he would have my support.”

Carroll’s retirement will mark the end of a political career that has spanned nearly six decades, including service as governor from December 1974 to December 1979.

A Paducah-area native who turned 88 on Tuesday, Carroll served five terms in the state House, including as speaker from 1968 to 1970. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1971 and assumed the governorship in 1974 when Gov. Wendell Ford was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1975, Carroll sought and won a full four-year term as governor.

After many years of practicing law in Frankfort, and running in the 1987 Democratic primary for governor, he returned to elected service by winning the Senate District 7 seat in 2004. He was re-elected three times, twice without opposition. The other time, he beat Graviss in a primary.

In 2017, the Senate Democratic Caucus removed Carroll as caucus whip after Spectrum News reported allegations by a male photographer that Carroll had groped him and propositioned him for sex in 2005. Carroll refused Senate Democrats' call for him to resign.

Graviss represents House District 56, covering Woodford County and parts of Franklin and Fayette counties. He succeeded Rep. James Kay, D-Versailles, who did not run for re-election last year, opting instead to run unopposed for Woodford County judge-executive. Graviss won 57 percent of the vote in beating Republican Dan Fister.

Information for this story was also gathered by the Midway Messenger.

Legislative update from state Rep. Joe Graviss

By state Representative Joe Graviss, D-Versailles

The 2019 regular session may have begun early last month, but it wasn’t until early last week that, like a train leaving the station, the legislative process began picking up steam.

That delay is by design. Under the constitutional rules governing odd-year meetings of the General Assembly, legislators only meet for four days in January and focus most of that time on such organizational matters as formally electing House and Senate leaders and establishing committees for the next two years.

The remaining 26 working days don’t begin until February, and are over by the end of March. These two months are when we decide which bills are destined to become law.

While relatively few votes were taken last week, this time was nonetheless important, since many of my colleagues and I began solidifying our priorities through the bills we filed. Our overall goals are to use these two dozen or so days to improve school safety; expand access to voting; broaden educational opportunities; and improve economic policies that benefit us all, not a select few. I will cover those more fully in the next week or two.

Governors also use these opening days to promote their own agenda. Their State of the Commonwealth speech has long been a tradition, and it’s special, too, because this is the only time each year that leaders of all three branches of government are in the same room.

Gov. Bevin presented this year’s address on Thursday, and he focused most of his remarks on bigger issues rather than specific bills. Some that he listed have near-unanimous support, such as the need to do even more to tackle the opioid epidemic, improve school safety, reduce bullying and increase the number of foster children who are adopted by loving families.

He also highlighted the positive upgrades that have been made at our state parks and with bridges that have long been in need of repair.

Outside of the legislative process, there were some other important events taking place at the Capitol last week.

In especially good news, we learned on Friday that Rep. Jim Glenn of Owensboro would be able to serve his complete term following his opponent’s decision to drop an election contest. As you may recall, Rep. Glenn won his seat by a single vote last November and was certified both locally and statewide by election officials.

The election contest was formally brought before the House last month in large part because of more than a dozen absentee ballots that were rejected in November because they did not meet statewide standards. A recount a little more than a week ago showed Rep. Glenn did indeed win the race, but after some of the ballots that had been rejected were accepted, the outcome was a tie.

Friday’s decision fortunately ends this issue, but there is broad agreement that changes need to be made so that future close legislative elections can be resolved in a fairer and quicker way without dominating the General Assembly’s time.

In other actions last week, the House began commemorating Black History Month, recognizing the contributions of such leaders as Dr. Grace James, who was the first African-American faculty member at the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine.

Following a request from one of my House colleagues, meanwhile, the Attorney General issued an opinion stating that the recent emergency regulation limiting public access within the Capitol complex violates state law.

While safety is certainly important, the long-standing security measures in place were appropriate. I believe this regulation is more about keeping the public from being fully heard in the People’s House while we debate controversial bills; it certainly does not meet the definition of emergency.

Economically, we heard some good news last Wednesday regarding our bourbon and farming communities.

That morning, my House Agriculture Committee learned that the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has approved requests by farmers to grow as many as 42,000 acres of industrial hemp in 2019. That’s up from 16,000 acres last year and just 33 acres in 2014, the first year the crop could be grown in Kentucky. I’m proud to say our Ag Department reported that in 2019 Woodford County has 12 growers, growing 154 acres with 58,700 square feet of greenhouse space. Franklin County has 11 growers growing 57 acres with 26,210 square feet of greenhouse space. And Fayette County has 22 growers growing 902 acres and 133,650 square feet of greenhouse space. In talking with hemp farmers, processors and retailers in my agriculture committee meetings, hemp is a booming business right now.

Later that afternoon, the Kentucky Distillers Association reported that the number of distilleries in the state and the value of their spirits have tripled over the past decade. The payroll for those working in the industry now tops $1 billion, and there were 1.4 million people who visited the Bourbon Trail in 2018, which is nearly four times as many as in 2009!

This week, we should begin seeing more bills clearing the House and Senate, and it’s possible some may be ready to be signed into law.

I will keep you updated on these and many other issues facing the General Assembly, and I encourage you to keep letting me know your thoughts as well. Your calls, emails, letters and in-person visits are critical in guiding me how to vote. Thanks to all of you who have stopped by so far.

You can email me at joe.graviss@lrc.ky.gov, and the toll-free message line is 1-800-372-7181. If you have a hearing impairment, please call 1-800-896-0305. The legislature’s website also has a lot of information and can be found online at www.lrc.ky.gov.

Thanks for all you all do and holler anytime.

Bevin names Paris lawyer Brian Privett to Circuit Court

Judge Brian Privett

Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Paris lawyer Brian Privett to fill the vacant circuit judgeship in Bourbon, Scott and Woodford counties. He succeeds Judge Paul Isaacs, who retired from the Division 2 seat in the 14th Judicial Circuit.

An election for the rest of Isaacs' term will be held Nov. 6. UPDATE: Privett was a candidate for district judge in the May 22 primary, but withdrew his candidacy April 19.

Privett is a graduate of the University of Louisville law school. A news release from the governor's office said Privett began his legal career in 2007 and has handled civil suits, real estate, wills and estates, family law, criminal defense, criminal prosecution, collections, debtor law, other business law, personal-injury law, equine law, and government and non-profits law.

He has been an assistant county attorney in Bourbon and Harrison counties and assistant commonwealth's attorney for the 14th Circuit. "Privett advocates for the protection of children and has been active in working with both Drug Court and recovery groups," the news release said. "Additionally, he helped found the 18th District Drug Court."

Privett said in the release, “I am so thankful to the Governor and all of my supporters in Scott, Woodford, and Bourbon counties for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to getting straight to work to reduce docket size, to expand our Drug Court, and to make sure cases are adjudicated quickly so that justice can be served in our communities.”

Skies brighten briefly, but more rain is on the way; governor declares statewide emergency due to floods

The rain slacked off and the sun came out briefly this afternoon, but it is forecast to resume tonight and continue through tomorrow, so a flood watch is in effect for the area until 7 a.m. Sunday.  South Elkhorn Creek was running heavy over the dam at Weisenberger Mill at mid-afternoon. Commercial weather projections call for the heaviest rain Saturday morning and Saturday night, with a chance of thunderstorms.

UPDATE, 6:40 p.m.: Gov. Matt Bevin declared a statewide emergency in response to continued flooding. The order enables state resources to be mobilized and made ready to assist cities and counties should they be needed, a press release said. Bevin has also activated the state’s prohibitions on price gouging to protect consumers.

Bevin appoints new circuit judge from Georgetown

Woodford County is getting a new circuit judge.

Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Georgetown lawyer Jeremy Mattox of Georgetown as a judge in the14th Judicial Circuit Judge, Division 1, also serving Scott and Bourbon counties, effective Aug. 25. He will replace Rob Johnson, whom Bevin recently appointed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals to fill a vacancy created by the election of Larry Van Meter to the state Supreme Court. Johnson's term runs through 2018. The other judges in the circuit are Paul Isaacs and Family Court Judge Lisa Morgan, also of Georgetown.

A news release from Bevin's office said Mattox is a graduate of Harrison County High School, Georgetown College and, in 2006, the University Kentucky College of Law. "Mattox has practiced law almost exclusively in central Kentucky, representing clients in a variety of civil, criminal and domestic matters," the release said. "He has been involved in a number of civic organizations, including the Georgetown-Scott County Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Justice Association," a lobby for plaintiffs' lawyers.

Mattox said in the release, “I am honored by this opportunity to serve the citizens of Bourbon, Scott and Woodford counties and am grateful to Governor Bevin and the Judicial Nominating Commission for selecting me.” The governor fills judicial vacancies from a list of three names submitted by commissions for each jurisdiction. The other nominees were Damon Loyd Preston and Perry Thomas Ryan, also of Georgetown.