HARRISON TIPTOES INTO PVA RACE

Apparently Albert Harrison wants to be the Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) for Oldham County. At least that is what his ad in the May 21,2009 edition of the Oldham Era indicated. That ad was very informative while also raising some questions.

First, Harrison stated that he has known for about a year that he wanted to be the PVA. Hmmm, that is about the same time that the current PVA started refusing to give in to the demands of developers regarding their property assessments. Could it be that Harrison decided to run because he agreed with the developers? After all he has done a lot of work for the developers and has frequently defended them. Will they be his primary supporter?

That brings up the next question. Who paid for the political ad in the Era? Campaign finance laws require that ads carry information that identifies the person/organization that paid for the ad. This particular ad did not have that information. Harrison has run for political office before; therefore, he should know the legal requirements.

Other information that was obviously missing from the ad was the party ticket on which Harrison intends to run. Although the ad contains prominent colors of both the democrat and republican parties it does not indicate which ticket Harrison is running on. He could also intend to run as an independent. Harrison ran for County Judge in 2006 as a democrat but my information tells me that he has switched to the Republican Party as many other current office holders have done.

One last thought. Research that I have conducted reflects that a person wishing to run for the office of PVA must first pass a test and present the certificate at the time he or she files for the office. My research has also told me that Harrison has not yet passed the test. Thus it is quite possible that Harrison has the cart before the horse here.

As to who will support Harrison, well a visit to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance gives a glimpse into that. A review of their records reflects that when he ran for County Judge he received much of his support from developers and other people involved in the real estate business. He even received one donation from his opponent, Duane Murner. Of course Murner received many of his contributions from the developers and others closely tied to the real estate business. One could easily get the impression that there is a neat little group here much akin to a “Little Boys Club.” As a matter of fact a person has to be blind if he/she cannot connect the dots, i.e., many of these people have the same interests.

The race for PVA could be interesting or it is possible that Harrison will run a lackluster race as he did for County Judge. In that case he does not have a prayer. Of course he must pass the test before anything can happen. Stay tuned!