Perhaps Another Candidate for Oldham County PVA

I recently spoke with Jim Urban, the current director of Planning and Development, about the possibility of him becoming a candidate for Property Valuation Administrator.  He advised me that he intends to take the examination necessary to qualify to serve as the PVA.  The examination is given in November,

Urban stated that if he passes the examination he will "consider" running for the office.  I am sure that he will have many factors to consider.  If he were to remain in his current position, he would become subject to the "Hatch Act" that bars a person from being a candidate for public office at the same time that he/she is serving in a position in which federal funds are expended and the position has any control over the funds.

If the office of the Property valuation Administrator receives any federal funds, Barbara Winters could also be subject to the "Hatch Act".  However, I do not have any knowledge that it does receive  federal funds.

JUDGE DAVID VOEGELE TO SEEK REELECTION

In an announcement that will come as a surprise to nobody Judge David Voegele advised me yesterday that he will seek reelection to the office of Judge Executive of Oldham County.  At the present time I am not aware of anyone else who intends to seek the position.

Although there have been some people who have not been happy with Judge Voegele, there have been no glaring incidents that would threaten his reelection.  That is not to say that he cannot lose the election.  Anyone who follows politics knows Paula Gish was clearly the favorite to win the election for County Judge in 2010.  After all, she had plenty of money and the political machine behind her.  However, Judge Voegele overcame the odds through very hard work and loyal supporters.  There is no reason to believe that he will not work just as hard to be reelected if any one chooses to oppose him.  On the other hand, the office of Judge Executive is certainly one of the most coveted positions in the county and in the contest for the office could prove interesting.

There are some issues that could come to the forefront if a potential candidate had solutions.  Having solutions to the problems would be more important than just bringing the issues to the forefront.

BARBARA WINTERS TO SEEK OFFICE OF PROPERTY VALUATION ADMINISTRATOR

Although she has not made a formal announcement, Barbara Winters has told me that she intends to run for the office of Property Valuation Administrator.  She is currently the deputy PVA.  In order to be qualified to serve a person must pass an examination related to the office.  Winters has passed the examination before so that should not be a hurdle.  Ron Winters is the current PVA but he is expected to retire.

I also expect that Albert Harrison will run for the position as he has made it plain to me that rumors that he was not going to run were not true.  He also has passed the required examination previously.  I have heard a couple of other names mentioned but I have not confirmed that either of them will actually run for the office.

Oldham Fiscal Court Should Change Meeting Time

Now is the time for the Oldham county fiscal court to reconsider its meeting schedule.  While the LaGrange City Council meets at night the Oldham county fiscal court continues to have its Tuesday afternoon sessions except for special occasions.

 Obviously, there are pros and cons to both meeting in the evening and meeting during the day.  The most obvious benefit of meeting during the day is that people who are working and find it necessary, or are required to be before the court, can be there while they are on official duty.  This includes county employees such as the chief financial officer, county treasurer, director of waste management, chief of police, county engineer, county attorney, the court clerk, and the director of planning and development. A simple solution to this hurdle would be to change work schedules or allow the employee to receive compensatory time for time spent in court.

 On the other hand, it is very difficult for the average citizen to attend fiscal court meetings.  The majority of people who live in Oldham county do not work in Oldham county.  Therefore, for them to attend meetings that are held at 2:00 PM usually requires them to leave work at 1:00 PM.  Over the years I have observed that most of the people who attend fiscal court meetings are retirees.  While they may have a lot of experience and may be knowledgeable about government it would be refreshing to see younger, working people attend the meetings.  At the present time regular attendance at the meetings presents a hardship to the average person living in Oldham county.

 Also, the fact that the court meets during the day presents a huge hurdle for any working person who would like to serve on the fiscal court.  Many employers simply would not allow an employee to miss work two afternoons per month.  If the court were to meet during the evening, many more people would be interested in serving on fiscal court.

 It appears that all of the members of fiscal court at the present time have jobs that require them to work during the day.  Therefore, changing the meeting time to the evening would not present a hardship for them.  Thus, now is the perfect time for the court to consider a change.

Sheriff Steve Sparrow to Seek Reelection

It comes as no surprise that Steve Sparrow will be seeking reelection as sheriff. Barring some significant event involving Sheriff Sparrow I would believe that he will win reelection handily.  I know that anyone contemplating challenging Sparrow will not agree with me but you must face reality.  During this past term there has not been any controversy involving the sheriff's office.

 I have heard rumors of a couple of other possible candidates for the office but nobody has come forth, to my knowledge, and said that he/she was going to run for the office of sheriff.  If Sparrow were to have more than one challenger, it would be more difficult to unseat him.

As I said, prospective candidates for offices should be testing the waters pretty soon with the filing deadlines just a few short months away.

Oldham County Magistrate Brent Likins with Congressman Thomas Massie

Republican Rally Kicks off 2014 Political Races

The fall of 2013 has arrived and politics is in the air. The Republican Party held a rally at exit 28 on Interstate 71 on Friday night.  Among the politicians there were Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, and Thomas Massie, all of whom represent the people of Oldham County at the Federal level. There were also many local politicians in attendance.

Back home on the local level not many decisions about who is running for office have been publicly announced at this time. It appears that there will be competition for the offices of sheriff, PVA, and mayor of LaGrange. There will surely be competition for other offices. I was informed by Sheriff Steve Sparrow at the rally that he will be a candidate for sheriff in 2014. That is the only person who has informed me that he is definitely seeking reelection.

The big question is, what will be the issues?  It usually is not sufficient for a candidate to simply run for an office and say he/she is better than the incumbent. If the incumbent has done nothing wrong and has generally been on the right side of the issues he/she will usually be reelected. What the issue are will be is usually decided by the public. The two biggest issues out there at the present time both relate to LaGrange. Those are the recent institution of a compensation tax and the Oldham Reserve. Another issue that is likely to be born of those two issues is the spending habits of LaGrange.

At the county level the decision to construct a new jail and the continuation of an insurance premium tax, that is larger than necessary, could become election issues.

Although the present fiscal court has had some tense moments it has been a harmonious court for the most part. Are there chinks in the armor of the court? Certainly there are. However, I do not see as many vulnerable members of the court this election as there were in the elections of 2010. On the other hand, one never knows what may become an issue between now and the primary elections which essentially decides who is going to be elected to office since Olham County has few democrats running at the county level. Of course, the city elections are nonpartisan.

Anyway, stay tuned to this site for the political news of the Oldham County. Who knows, it could be that a few "looks" may be taken at the statewide elections.