ANOTHER POSSIBLE FOE FOR RICK RASH

The race for County Judge of Oldham County could definitely have some interesting twists during the course of the campaign season. The first could very well involve Magistrate Rick Rash.

It is apparent that Magistrate Rash is going to support Stan Clark who is the most recent person to enter the race. Rash is likely to be very active in the campaign. However, Magistrate Rash barely won re-election in 2006 and any serious candidate will pose a major threat to him. Bob Dye, who nearly beat Magistrate Rash in 2006, is one likely candidate.

However, when Judge Duane Murner, who is supporting Paula Gish, decides to begin playing dirty, he might find a candidate to run against Rash as payback for his support of Clark. After all, he did push and provide funding to Bill Tucker to run as a write-in candidate against Magistrate Scott Davis in the general election of 2006, after Davis defeated Tucker in the primary. Presumably, he saw Magistrate Davis as an independent thinker and therefore a problem for him, even though Davis was a member of Murner’s republican party.

A strong candidate put up against Rash would mean that he would have to spend much more time on his own campaign; therefore, preventing him from working for Stan Clark as much as he would like to do.

There is no question that Murner will continue supporting Paula Gish in the beginning of this campaign cycle and will do anything to get her elected. This includes railroading Rick Rash if needed. After all, Murner no longer needs Rash. He has gotten what he wanted out of Rash, i.e., votes for higher taxes, support for a failed airport, votes for higher fees, and a line of defense for several other issues. If Rash is not going to support Paula Gish, then Murner will now likely see him as the enemy. That in turn could cause Murner to show some more of his true personality, being his way at any cost.