Anderson’s goal for Chamber: To improve community relations

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Allen Anderson, incoming president of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, said improved community relations and involvement will be top priorities during 2008 as he leads the chamber. Anderson will be installed as president January 25 during the chamber’s annual installation banquet at The Center for Rural Development. Bill Mardis photo

January 21, 2008

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By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus The Commonwealth Journal Mon Jan 21, 2008, 07:40 AM EST

The incoming president of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce wants to set in motion a plan to improve community relations.

“We need to come together as a community so we can best utilize the many resources we have here,” said Allen Anderson, president and CEO of South Kentucky RECC. Anderson will assume leadership of the chamber January 25 during the annual installation banquet at The Center for Rural Development.

“I want to make a contribution (while president of the chamber) to create a better relationship ... everybody working together in the community, no matter what happens.” Anderson said.

Alluding to the pipeline of funds into this community from Congressman Hal Rogers, Anderson encouraged maximum utilization of the resources the 5th District congressman has made available.

“At some point in time ... and I hope it’s a long time ... we won’t be able to rely on these funds,” Anderson said, adding: “And we need to be able to survive without these blessings.”

Anderson plans to focus on industry during his year as chamber president. He said the chamber has among its members many from the industrial segment, but there is not the participation he wants.

“We need to visit our industries and learn their impact on our community,” said Anderson. He expressed a desire to have a focus on industries similar to the focus on education, a current highlight of the chamber’s monthly membership meetings.

“Finally, we’re wanting to step up to a different level with our guest speakers,” Anderson revealed. “We’d like to bring in top speakers. When we have subjects of great interest to the community, schedule a speaker in these areas.”

Anderson suggested that with cooperation from businesses and industries, training seminars can be held near the date of the monthly chamber meetings and topnotch speakers could evolve from these sessions.

“We might get businesses and industries to pay fees for employees to attend the training sessions and (chamber) speakers could be paid from resources around the training seminars,” he said.

The incoming president wants to get all facets of the community involved in the chamber, specifically those among the overflow crowds at the monthly membership meetings.

Also, Anderson said an effort will be made to keep the chamber luncheons on schedule. “We’ll try to concentrate on a good solid hour and get out on time.” Anderson noted a tendency to allow chamber meetings to extend past 1 p.m., possibly creating a problem for business people who attend the chamber meeting during their lunch hour.

Anderson said he would like to regularly meet with officials of city and county governments to determine their goals and work with them to attain these goals.

A gavel, symbolic of chamber leadership, will be presented to Anderson by outgoing president Jack Wilhelm during the installation banquet. Also to be installed are Chuck Coldiron, general manager of Hyundai of Somerset, as first vice president of the chamber, and Cathy Epperson, chief executive officer of The Adanta Group, will be installed as second vice president.

Coldiron is scheduled to assume the presidency of the chamber in 2009. He will succeed Anderson. Epperson, according to the line of succession, will be elevated to first vice president in 2009 and become president in 2010.

New members of the chamber’s board of directors elected for three-year terms are John Gillum and Geeta Rodrigues. Don Haney was re-elected.

Chamber board members and the segment of business they represent are:

Health -- Jeff Seraphine

Real Estate -- Julie Hamilton

Banking -- Doug Parkey

Education -- Tim Eaton

Non-profit -- Larry Combs

Retirees -- Marion Price

At Large -- Jack McNeely

Service Industry -- Jeff Adams

At Large -- John Gillum

Industry -- Mike Chandler

Agriculture -- Don Haney

At Large -- Tony Honeycut

At Large -- Geeta Rodriques

Retail -- Leah Taylor

Chamber staff members include Jack Keeney, executive director; Janet Haynes, administrative assistant; and Roger Gover, financial officer.

Tickets for the banquet, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. January 25, are available at the chamber office. Telephone 679-7323. Individual tickets are $25 and a table of eight is available for $175.

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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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