South Kentucky RECC employees provide storm relief

Local News

September 18, 2008

Community News

Anonymous The Commonwealth Journal Thu Sep 18, 2008, 06:53 AM EDT

South Kentucky RECC, which is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, has sent 12 men to provide restoration assistance to wind-damaged northern Kentucky. The damage from Sunday’s wind storm was the remnants of Hurricane Ike, which ravaged parts of Texas.

Vice President of Engineering Steve Conover says the call for aid came yesterday (Sept. 14).

“Our employees will be going to assist Owen Electric Cooperative in northern Kentucky. There were reports of up to 75 mile per hour wind gusts yesterday, wreaking havoc with trees and limbs, causing power lines to go down. It is my understanding that our two (six-man) crews will be dispatched to the Walton, Ky., office of Owen Electric Co-op, which covers the counties of Boone and Campbell.”

Mike Cobb, with Owen Electric Cooperative, says the co-op has 57,000 members, of which 12,000 are without power at this time.

At peak yesterday (Sept. 14), 28,000 were without power. He adds that it is nice knowing that help is available when you most need it.

“We appreciate the assistance we have received from co-ops across the state. It is nice to know that we can count on our sister co-ops during times like these to help with restoration efforts.”

SKRECC CEO Allen Anderson says that he can’t express his appreciation enough to the employees and their families for making the sacrifices they make to help other communities and states when they are called on in crisis situations.

Conover says that the time that SKRECC crews spend away from home depends on how much work they have to do when they get to Owen Electric.

Locally, Conover says the South Kentucky RECC system suffered some damage, but nothing like the north and northwestern parts of the state. Outages began around 11 a.m. yesterday (Sept. 14), and at peak, about 1,500 members were without power, mostly due to tree limbs on lines. Outages were widespread and by approximately 10:30 last night, members, for the most part, had power restored.

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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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