Voters in Carter and Lewis counties will go to the polls Tuesday to choose between two political newcomers — Republican Jill York and Democrat Barry Webb — to fill the vacancy in the 96th District created when former State Rep. Robin Webb was elected to the 18th District Senate seat earlier this year. Most political insiders predict only a small percentage of registered voters in the two counties will cast ballots Tuesday.
In sharp contrast to the special election between Robin Webb and Republican Jack Ditty for the 18th District Senate seat vacated when Gov Steve Beshear appointed Republican Charlie Borders to the Public Service Commission, the race to replace Webb in the House has attracted little attention outside the two counties.
State Democrat and Republican leaders are far more interested in Tuesday’s Senate race in the 14th District in central Kentucky than the 96th District House race. In the 14th District — which includes Marion, Mercer, Nelson, Taylor and Washington counties — voters will be choosing a replacement for former Sen. Dan Kelly who was appointed a circuit court judge by Beshear. Like Borders’ appointment to the PSC, Kelly’s appointment to the bench was seen as part of Beshear’s efforts to pick Democratic strength in the Senate.
Unlike the Senate race, Tuesday’s 96th District race will have little impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Even if Republican York replaces Democrat Robin Webb, Democrats still will have a solid majority in the House.
And regardless of who wins Tuesday, there will be another race for this seat in 2010. In fact, since the party leaders in the two counties chose York and Barry Webb, who is no relation to Robin Webb, as their candidates for tomorrow’s special election, we would not be surprised to see opposition for this seat in both the Republican and Democratic primaries in May.
While it has attracted little attention, tomorrow’s election still is important to the people of Carter and Lewis counties. With state government continuing to face declining revenue, legislators will be forced to make some tough, unpopular decisions during the 60-day session. The approval of the state budget for the biennium that begins July 1, 2010, is the most important task of the session, and with the needs being far greater than the revenue to meet them, the budget promises to be an extremely lean one.
Legislators are going to have to make a deep cuts in spending and, because of that, Lewis and Carter counties need to have an advocate in the House to assure that the cuts do not eliminate important programs in the counties.
From our vantage point, the Democratic and Republican parties in Lewis and Carter counties have provided voters with a choice between two good candidates for the 96th District seat. We encourage voters to take the time to go to the polls Tuesday.
