Think of Gov. Steve Beshear’s appointment of state Sen. Dan Kelly as circuit court judge for Green, Marion, Taylor and Washington counties as the start of Round 2 of the governor’s effort to regain control of the Kentucky Senate for the Democratic Party. Just how successful the governor will be in this round will depend on whether a Democrat or a Republican wins the Senate seat vacated by Kelly in a special election set for Dec. 8 in the four counties.
On the same day voters will be choosing the replacement for Kelly, the former Senate majority leader, voters in Carter and Lewis counties will be electing a replacement for Robin Webb in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Webb resigned from her 96th District seat when she was elected to fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Charlie Borders when Beshear appointed him to the Public Service Commission.
The appointment of Borders, a Republican from Grayson, to the PSC and his replacement in the Senate by Democrat Webb was Round 1 of the governor’s plan to help Democrats regain control of the Senate — and it nearly backfired.
Many assumed that Webb, who was in the midst of her sixth term of representing two of the six counties in the 18th Senate District and had not even been opposed in recent elections, would have little trouble defeating Republican Jack Ditty, who was making his first run for political office. But Ditty, a Russell dermatologist, came within a whisker of defeating Webb after a brief campaign during which both candidates spent freely.
The race was so close that we would not be the least bit surprised if Ditty does not again challenge Webb for a full term in the Senate in November of 2010. The last word has not been spoken in the race to replace Borders.
The seat that was held by Kelly, who resides in Springfield, is in a district that is considered more solidly Republican than the 18th District. That makes replacing Kelly with a Democrat that much more difficult.
Frankly, if it were not for the manner in which Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, manages that body, we have no objections to the GOP controlling the Senate body. At a time when the far left and far right wings seems to control the two political parties, there is an advantage to having Democrats control the House and Republicans control the Senate. If done right, the two parties can work together to find a middle ground in which they can agree.
Unfortunately, Williams often has played the role of obstructionist in the General Assembly. Bills approved by the House with strong bipartisan support have been killed by Williams in the Senate without a vote being taken. While Williams’ refusal to advance in the Senate the governor’s efforts for expanded gambling was the major issue that called the governor to announce his strategy to weaken GOP strength in the Senate, there have been many, many bills approved by the House that have never been discussed in the Senate because of Williams’ refusal to advance them. That needs to stop.
However, the Democrats may not have to regain control of the Senate to curb Williams’ power. The GOP first flexed its muscle in the Senate when five Democrats, including Walter Blevins, D-Sandy Hook, joined the then Republican minority to unseat John “Eck” Rose as Senate president. Two years later the GOP gained control of the Senate not at the ballot box but by having two Senate Democrats switch to the Republican Party. Since then, the GOP has strengthened its position in the Senate by unseating Democrats.
Even if a Democrat is elected to replace Kelly, the GOP still will have a 19-18 edge in the Senate with Independent Bob Leeper usually siding with the Republican Party. For the sake of a good government, our hope is that Beshear’s strategy will result in the election of senators that will spend a lot more time on advancing good government and a lot less time in playing partisan politics. The political games that have dominated Frankfort in recent years have not been a positive for the state.
Editorials
Power play — 10/30/09
Appointment part of Beshear's plan to gain control of Senatebate
- Editorials
-
-
Charles Chattin
Before it merged with Ashland Community College to form Ashland Community and Technical College as a result of the 1997 Higher Education Reform Act, the Ashland Area Vocational-Technical School compiled an impressive record for teaching job skills to young adults and placing more than 85 percent in jobs for which they were trained.
-
Try again
It is time for Kentucky Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, and Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, to cease playing political games and redraw district lines that are compact and are based far more on population changes during the first decade of this century than on partisan politics.
-
'Asset poor'
More than one in four Kentucky households are “asset poor,” meaning that they are living from paycheck to paycheck with little or no financial cushion to fall back on should they suddenly lose their jobs or have another emergency resulting in a temporary loss of or delcine in income.
-
Safer mines
The head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says coal operators throughout the country are improving their operations and, as a result, mines are becoming safer. However, MSHA chief Joe Main said too many coal operators still “don’t get it” and are continuing to cut costs by ignoring safety. That’s why MSHA plans to continue targeting mines with a history of repeated violations for additional inspections.
-
Not far enough
For the past three sessions of the Kentucky General Assembly, bills that would raise the minimum dropout age from 16 to 18 have been approved by the Kentucky House of Representatives by wide bipartisan margins only to die in the Senate without even a vote.
Now the Senate Education Committee has unanimously approved a dropout bill hailed as an alternative to the House bill, but it does not go nearly far enough. It is a halfway measure that would have only a limited effect on preventing teenagers from quitting high school before graduation and virtually assuring themselves of lives on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder.
-
Not their job
The local government committee of the Kentucky House of Representatives has wisely killed a bill — dubbed “Cooper’s Law” — that would have allowed the family of the Lexington toddler with cerebral palsy to have a playhouse on their property despite a deed restriction that apparently prohibits such structures.
-
Keeping FADE
Despite an increase in cost to the department, Carter County Sheriff Casey Brammell told the Carter County Fiscal Court that his department will continue to be active in the FIVCO Area Development Drug Enforcement (FADE) Task Force — at least for now.
-
Needed changes
The soaring enrollment that Kentucky’s community and technical colleges have experienced in recent years could come to a sudden end — or at least be slowed — as about 5,500 students in the statewide system that includes Ashalnd Community and Technical College are expected to lose their financial aid under new rules being implemented by the federal government.
-
Released early
While it is disappointing that 75 of the 952 prisoners granted early release in January have violated the terms of their releases, the good news is that none of the former inmates have been charged with new felonies. That’s an early, but positive, indication that the nonviolent felons released before their sentences were up have been carefully selected and are among those least likely to return to a life of crime.
-
Obese children
Almost a decade after former Gov. Ernie Fletcher called childhood obesity an “epidemic” in Kentucky, a majority of Kentucky adults still think that there are too many overweight children in the state and they place the bulk of the blame squarely on the shoulders of their parents.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
Charles Chattin
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
