Pulaski voters facing precinct realignment

Local News

February 3, 2010

Some areas of Somerset, Science Hill, Ferguson see biggest changes to ballot places

By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus The Commonwealth Journal Wed Feb 03, 2010, 09:05 PM EST

The State Board of Elections has approved realignment of precinct boundaries that puts practically all Somerset, Science Hill and Ferguson voters in city precincts. A few precinct boundaries also were moved for convenience of county voters.

The changes, requested by the Pulaski County Board of Elections, created two new voting precincts in Somerset, increasing the total number of precincts in Somerset to 14, and in Pulaski County to 59.

Newly created Somerset 3C takes in Saddlebrook subdivision. Voters in this area along Ky. 1247 will ballot at the YMCA. They formerly voted in Vaught No. 43 at Hal Rogers Fire Training Center.

Voters in Village Green, located off Rush Branch Road, will now vote in newly created Somerset 4C at Meece Middle School. They formerly voted at Gilliland No. 40 at Eagle Heights Church and at Rush Branch No. 14 at Haynes Knob Fire Station.

Both Somerset 3C and 4C are relatively small precincts. Somerset No. 3C has 88 registered voters and Somerset No. 4C has 86 voters.

Also, to bring all city voters to city precincts, voters along East Somerset Church Road and Lisa Way were moved from Caney Fork No. 13 to Somerset 4B. Voting place in 4B is Meece Middle School. Total number of voters in Somerset 4B increased from 1,231 to 1,327.

Mark Vaught, member of the Pulaski County Board of Elections, said precinct realignments put practically all Somerset voters in city precincts. He said there are a couple of small areas that could not be moved because by law a precinct boundary cannot cross a magisterial or legislative district line. The realignments also do not change ward boundaries in Somerset.

Pulaski County Clerk Ralph Troxtell has said since he took office three years ago that putting city voters in city precincts takes the burden off precinct officers who have to determine if a voter in a county precinct is eligible to vote in a city election.

In Science Hill, all city voters are now in Science Hill (City) No. 22 and will vote at the Science Hill Fire Station. Voters who live outside the Science Hill corporate limits and formerly voted in Science Hill No. 22 will now vote in Science Hill (County) No. 23 at Science Hill Elementary School.

The precinct changes at Science Hill reduced the number of voters in Science Hill No. 22 from 801 to 518. The number of voters in Science Hill No. 23 increased from 552 to 835.

Ferguson No. 8 precinct now includes only city voters in Ferguson. Vaught said voters living between the city limits of Ferguson and Rush Branch Road and north of Ky. 914 were moved to Gilliland No. 40. Ferguson voters south of Ky. 914 were moved to Parker No. 9. Total number of voters in Ferguson No. 8 was reduced from 766 to 636.

The boundary realignments increased the number of registered voters in Parker No. 9 from 524 to 571; reduced the number of voters in Rush Branch No. 14 from 548 to 397; reduced the number of voters in Vaught No. 43 from 1,916 to 1,828; and reduced the number of voters in Mark No. 30 from 838 to 828.

Troxtell, chair of the county board of elections, said Burnside and Eubank voters could not be brought into respective city precincts because Eubank straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line, and Burnside extends along Lake Cumberland to the Nancy community at Lee’s Ford Resort Marina.

Another change moved some voters from Colo No. 35 and Rush Branch No. 14 into Gilliland No. 40 where they will vote at Eagle Heights Church. Gilliland’s precinct boundary was realigned to include the Blaze Valley community and border along Rush Branch (creek). Total registered voters in Gilliland increased from 982 to 1,372. Troxtell and Vaught said these voters were moved for their convenience because some had to travel considerable distances to ballot at Haynes Knob Fire Department or White Lily Fire Department.

Troxtell and Vaught both emphasized that realigned precinct boundaries do not cross magisterial district lines and will not affect the 51 candidates for seats on Pulaski Fiscal Court from the county’s five magisterial districts. Troxtell and Vaught pointed out that by law a precinct boundary cannot cross a magisterial district line and magisterial districts cannot be realigned until after the 2010 federal census. Total number of voters in each of the five magisterial districts is the same as before, they assured.

All voters affected by any precinct boundary changes will be notified by mail prior to the May 18 primary elections, Troxtell said.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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