Whitaker new Burnside Police chief

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June 1, 2009

By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Mon Jun 01, 2009, 08:37 PM EDT

Burnside — Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Whitaker will be the new Chief of Police in Burnside, follow-ing a vote Thursday night by the Burnside City Council.

The matter was discussed in a closed executive session by the six-person council, as well as Mayor Chuck Fourman and City Attorney Dan Thompson. The council discussed 10 potential applicants for the position, soon to be vacated by current chief Eddie Glover.

Out of those 10 — four of which were from out-of-state — the field was narrowed to three: one from outside Kentucky, and two local ones. The council decided to go with a candidate with a more intimate knowledge of the area, which left two to choose from — Charles Boston and Craig Whitaker, both deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.

Fourman made the decision to appoint Boston because the candidate is actually from Burnside.

“That played a factor in my decision,” said Fourman. “Both candidates were equally qualified — both were highly recommended by (Sheriff Todd Wood) — but Boston lived in Burnside.”

That appointment was then voted on by the council, but it was rejected by a count of five against one.

Fourman was then left to appoint Whitaker, who met with the exact opposite result — 5-1 in favor of his being named sheriff. When the matter was officially voted on in regular open session, all the councilors except for Jim Rasnick cast votes to name Whitaker the new police chief of the Burnside Police Department.

Councilor Ron Jones was one of those who favored Whitaker. Jones said it was because of the difference between the two in their higher education.

“I felt like both candidates were well-matched, with the exception that Mr. Whitaker had more college experience,” said Jones. “The only thing that anyone brought up (as separating the two) was (Whitaker’s) educational background.”

Rasnick sided with the idea that Boston was a Burnside resident, business owner — of the Goodie Shack, an eatery on U.S. 27 in the only town on Lake Cumberland — and a local voter.

“Both candidates were truly qualified, both had stellar histories and impeccable references,” said Rasnick. “What swayed me to cast my vote for Charles Boston ... (is that) having a police chief who is a resident of the city is a big advantage. You have a faster response time, he knows the people here, he went to school with them. It’s a big advantage when you know the local residents.”

Rasnick added that the difference in education background was made moot by the extensive experience both had in their particular field, law enforcement.

Whitaker has been with the sheriff’s department since 1996, and also has also worked in security at Woodson Bend Resort.

Whitaker told the Commonwealth Journal that he’s “very excited” to become Burnside’s newest police chief — replacing Glover, who served about half a decade in the role as Burnside grew and introduced alcohol into restaurants, changing the city’s landscape — and noted that his goals will probably be the same as Glover’s.

“We’re always looking for more manpower, to see the department grow. ... It’s an excellent department to work for,” said Whitaker. “You don’t get the opportunity very often to be the leader of a local department here in Pulaski County.”

Whitaker said he will officially begin his new job in a couple week’s time.

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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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