KEVIN ELDRIDGE TRIES TO DEFLECT HEAT FROM UNHAPPY STORM WATER VICTIMS

Kevin Eldridge sounds and appears more like a candidate for County Judge every day. I have predicted that he will run and that Duane Murner will support him. Murner has been grooming him for the job for a long time. He helped him stay on the Planning & Zoning Commission, appointed him to lead his Vision Council, and has now appointed him to lead the Storm Water District. I thought that he was a complete failure as the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Vision Council is just a bad memory to most people. The Vision Council never seemed to accomplish anything other than trying to tell people, and justify the fact, that Murner was going to want a lot of additional taxes.

However, Eldridge’s new position as chairman of the Storm Water District may be the position that brings him the most heat. After reading the article in the Oldham Era last week it was apparent that Murner and Eldridge were taking some heat over the recent bills people received from the Storm Water District. In fact, Eldridge seemed to be trying to deflect some of the heat to the politicians. He was obviously blaming everyone except himself. It is true that he did not force the county to form a Storm Water district and he did not vote for the fee. However, he accepted the position as director which indicates that he supports the program. Further, while Eldridge is telling everyone that they should complain to their elected officials, including the local officials, we must all remember that he wanted the fee to be much higher than the final figure that was set.

Eldridge begins his article by telling everyone what a great guy he is by making sure that they know his position is as a volunteer. He continues by trying to make it look as though he did such a great job by keeping the rate lower than Jefferson County. What he doesn’t tell people is that most counties in Kentucky don’t have a Storm Water district. He also doesn’t tell the people that, according to an email that he sent to Judge Murner, just over 13 percent of the people in the county should be covered by the Storm Water District. Wonder why all of the other people have to pay the bill also?

If the Storm Water fee is such a bad thing, then why is he a part of it and why did he want the fee to be higher. Why is he trying to deflect the criticism to the magistrates? Can he not take the heat? Is he afraid that the unpopularity of the Storm Water fee is going to hurt his image and his chances of becoming the next County Judge? He is really beginning to sound like a politician. He is trying to place the blame for the Storm Water fee on everyone else while trying to convince them that he is trying to be their savior. Just remember, he wanted the fee to be much higher and he was willing to include the entire county even though he did not believe that the entire county was required to be a part of the Storm Water District.

I would suspect that Judge Murner will be indebted to Mr. Eldridge for “falling on the sword” for him and taking some of the heat for the Storm Water Fee. I would also expect that Eldridge will expect Judge Murner’s total support should he decide to seek the office of County Judge, even if other people close to Murner are disappointed at not receiving his support. Anyone can see that Eldridge is likely to follow the same path as Murner in campaigning for County Judge, should he enter the race. That path includes gathering as much funding as possible from developers, real estate agents, and those involved in the construction industry. We clearly see where Murner’s allegiances fall and if Eldridge were elected County Judge, it is likely that little or no change would be coming to Oldham County. Can the people of this county afford a second term of Duane Murner or his groomed replacement?