Election Fever

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November 4, 2009

Candidates in numerous local races line up to file

By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus The Commonwealth Journal Wed Nov 04, 2009, 08:09 PM EST

Never in memory has there been such a fever pitch for public office as witnessed Wednesday, the first day candidates could officially file for local offices. By 8 a.m. a line of hopefuls stretched halfway down the corridor outside the county clerk’s office. One candidate for magistrate had been waiting five hours.

Richard Gossett, Science Hill, candidate for magistrate in the 2nd District, took a page out of a rock star concert ticket line, or maybe University of Kentucky basketball fans camping out for passes to Big Blue Madness. “I was in the parking lot at the courthouse at 3 o’clock this morning,” said Gossett. “I couldn’t sleep so I just came on down.”

Gossett was first in line when the clerk’s door opened exactly at 8 o’clock, but his long wait was in vain. County Clerk Ralph Troxtell had a leg up by being inside the door.

“I’m a candidate for reelection,” Troxtell grinned, filing his papers as candidates and their families swarmed into his office when the clock struck 8.

Martin Hatfield, candidate for county attorney, intended to be first in line. He was at the courthouse, surrounded by his wife and family, including his parents, Avery and Lois Hatfield, a few minutes before 8 o’clock. Despite his punctual arrival, several beat the county attorney hopeful to the punch. Hatfield ended up midway down the line of early birds waiting for the county clerk’s door to open.

There is really no hurry, only the exhilaration of being first. Candidates subject to the May 18, 2010 primaries have until 4 p.m. January 26 to file.

By 1 p.m. Wednesday, the following candidates had filed:

FOR MAYOR OF SOMERSET:

JP Wiles, a former mayor. Somerset candidates are nonpartisan.

FOR COUNTY CLERK:

Ralph Troxtell, the incumbent. He is a Republican.

FOR COUNTY ATTORNEY:

Martin Hatfield, PO Box 1600, Somerset. He is a Republican.

FOR JAILER:

David Moss, 133 Crawford Avenue, Somerset. He is Republican.

FOR MAGISTRATE, DISTRICT 1:

Jason Turpen, 759 Piney Woods Road, Nancy. He is a Republican.

FOR MAGISTRATE, DISTRICT 2:

Richard Gossett, 18 Canterbury Drive, Science Hill. He is a Republican.

Darrell Wayne Haste, 387 Mt. Hope Road, Science Hill. He is a Republican.

Earl Owens, PO Box 1777, Somerset. He is a Republican.

Clyde Molen, Somerset. He is a Republican.

Bobby Wesley, 3035 Ky. 1676, Science Hill. He is a Republican.

FOR MAGISTRATE, DISTRICT 3:

Claude J. Acton, 11961 Ky. 39, Somerset. He is a Republican.

Jimmy Wheeldon, 3700 East Ky. 452, Eubank. He is a Republican.

Tommy Barnett, the incumbent, 852 Creekside Drive, Somerset. He is a Republican.

FOR MAGISTRATE, DISTRICT 4:

Glenn H. Maxey, the incumbent, 134 Sears Cemetery Road, Somerset. He is a Republican.

Charlie Acton, 6074 Grundy Road, Somerset. He is a Republican.

FOR MAGISTRATE, DISTRICT 5:

Shane Francis, 3365 Ky. 790 Bronston. He is a Republican.

FOR CONSTABLE, DISTRICT 5:

Michael W. Wallace, PO Box 72, Bronston. He is a Republican.

Aside for the excitement about who would be first to file, the first five hours of filing showed the office of magistrate with its $33,600 annual compensation is increasingly popular.

Magisterial candidates, not previously mentioned in pre-filing publicity, were near the first of the line to pop down $50 and file for a seat on Pulaski Fiscal Court. These newly revealed hopefuls include Jason Turpen in District 1; Bobby Wesley, Clyde Molen, Darrell Wayne Haste and Earl Owens in District 2; Jimmy Wheeldon in District 3; and Charlie Acton in District 4.

Previously mentioned potential magisterial candidates in District 1 are Neal Branscum, Roger B. McClendon, Tim Tarter, Christopher Len Bingham, Steven Johnson, Jerry McClendon, Michael Todd and Jimmy Lee Wilson. Kenny Isaacs, the incumbent, reportedly is campaigning for county judge-executive.

Larry Hines, Eugene Harness, Richard Gossett and Daron Young are potential candidates for the District 2 post. Mike Wilson is the incumbent.

Claude J. Action and James Cothron have had their names out for several weeks as candidates for magistrate in District 3. Tommy Barnett is the incumbent.

Paul Moody, Steve VanHook, Darwin K. Harris and Donnie L. Whitis already have had their names in the newspaper as candidates for the seat on fiscal court from District 4. Ferguson Mayor Allen Dobbs told the Commonwealth Journal Wednesday he is pondering another term as mayor or running for magistrate from District 4. Glenn Maxey is the incumbent.

William Lippert and David L. Rogers have been mentioned several times as potential candidates in District 5. Mike Strunk is the incumbent.

Troxtell for county clerk; Hatfield for county attorney; and Moss for jailer are the only three countywide candidates who had filed by early Wednesday afternoon. Magistrates run in districts in which they live.

Wiles was quick to file for his former job as mayor of Somerset. Incumbent Mayor Eddie Girdler told the Commonwealth Journal he will seek a second term, and Larry Wesley, chief deputy for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and former Somerset police chief, said he will be a candidate for mayor.

There are a host of other likely office seekers. Potential candidates for Pulaski County judge-executive are Bert Minton, Jimmy Dalton, Darrell BeShears, Steve Kelley and incumbent Barty Bullock, all Republicans, and Kenny Isaacs, a Democrat.

Bill Thompson, the incumbent county attorney, told the Commonwealth Journal he will be a candidate for reelection. He will be challenged by Hatfield.

Richard New says he wants another term as coroner. Shane Douglas Haste, 636 Old Salts Road, has filed a Letter of Intent to seek the coroner’s office, and Alan Stringer, a former coroner, has said he might be in the running.

Pulaski County Sheriff Todd Wood said he wants another four-year term. At this point, nobody else has publicly indicated an interest in trying to unseat the incumbent sheriff.

Mike Harris, the incumbent jailer, said he will run again. He will be challenged by Moss.

T.W. Todd, incumbent property valuation administrator, said Wednesday he will seek another term.

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Local News

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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