The Political Bridge

JUST IN: SARAH PALIN TO RESIGN AS ALASKA GOVERNOR

WASILLA, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she is resigning from office.

She didn't say why she decided to step down, but the surprise announcement stirred speculation that she would focus on a bid for the 2012 Republican nomination for president.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the announcement from her home in suburban Wasilla on Friday morning. She said she would step down

2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: KENTUCKY CONGRESSMEN CHANDLER AND YARMUTH HOSTED D.C. FUNDRAISER FOR JACK CONWAY(DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN KY)

 From Roll Call.com

June 23, 2009, 12 a.m.

 

Reps. Ben Chandler and John Yarmuth — the only Democratic Members of the Bluegrass State delegation — are headlining a fundraising reception today in Washington, D.C., for Senate candidate and state Attorney General Jack Conway (D).

The $250-per-person event is taking place just off Capitol Hill and will also feature the state Speaker Greg Stumbo and state Auditor Crit Luallen.

GOOD NEWS ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL CASE IN LOUISVILLE, KY

(From R Voice 1 in Louisville, KY...This is case between Zeon Chemical and working class neighborhoods in Louisville, KY)

 

As all of you know, on June 19th, Judge Heyburn extended the comment period for the proposed settlement by 30 days.  REACT along with many other residents saw this as a good step toward being able to reach many more of the thousands of people in the neighborhood who would lose their rights.

Today (20 days prior to the new deadline), I received word that Judge Heyburn has DENIED a motion to approve the settlement agreement.

This is good news!!

This means to me that thousands of people will not lose future rights to sue Zeon in the event of an incident at the facility.  This means a settlement that would not be good for the community has been denied.

I know many of you will ask "What is next? What does this mean?" 

Quite honestly I'm still attempting to obtain clarification on this but I just COULD NOT wait to tell you all how excited REACT is about this judgement.  I know I should have had all the facts but I was just too excited.

Please expect over the next few days to receive communication from REACT on what the judgement means and what next steps the community will need to take.

Oh and by the way...  The community meetings scheduled for the 2nd, 9th and 14th have been canceled.  REACT will be at the church on the 2nd in case people show up.

Thank you to everyone who supported the effort to defeat an unfair settlement.

 

 

2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: DR DAN MONGIARDO (DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN KY)VISITS A OWENSBORO BUSINESS TO PROMOTE THE NEED TO FIX HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA

OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) - "Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo toured an Owensboro business he hopes can help fix the health care system. Knox Technologies digitizes paper documents in an effort to improve physician care.

(Dr Mongiardo said): 'I'm concerned that if we don't fix health care, then we're going to continue to lose jobs to other countries," he said.  "If we're the state that shows the rest of the country how to do it and we do it right, then we bring all kinds of jobs here."

2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: JACK CONWAY(DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN KY) GETS LT. COLONEL(RET) ANDREW HORNE'S SUPPORT

From the Washington Post's Political Fix

In the seeming unending fight for endorsements in the Kentucky Democratic Senate primary between Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo and state Attorney General Jack Conway, the latter added to his pile on Monday when Andrew Horne announced his support. Horne, a lieutenant colonel in the Army and briefly a Senate candidate against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2003, said that Conway "gives us the best short of winning in 2010" because of his ability to appeal statewide and his youth.

KY STATE AUDITOR ANNOUNCES PLANS TO AUDIT KENTUCKY LEAGUE OF CITIES, KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES

News from State Auditor Crit Luallen’s Office

Luallen moves forward with individual audits, citing alarming media reports and concerns over spending

FRANKFORT, KY (7-1-09) State Auditor Crit Luallen today announced her plans to audit the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) and the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) due to recent alarming media reports and serious concerns over spending.

“Because of recent newspaper articles and specific concerns brought to my office, the Kentucky State Auditor intends to audit KLC and KACo,” Luallen said. “This office has a responsibility to Kentucky citizens to ensure accountability for their tax dollars.

“In these tough economic times, it’s more important than ever that these two agencies, which are funded by the public and governed by elected officials, have full transparency and thorough scrutiny. Anything less would be a disservice to the cities and counties they serve.”

Luallen contacted KLC Board Chair Connie Lawson, mayor of Richmond, and KACo Board Chair Mike Foster, county attorney in Christian County, to notify them of her office’s plans. A letter of notification was also sent to the board chairs that outlined the Auditor’s statutory authority to conduct examinations.

Luallen’s office had previously offered a series of recommendations to the boards of KLC and KACo to assist them with better agency oversight.

Luallen said while these recommendations can be a useful tool for any public board, individual audits will help address the many concerns and questions regarding expenses and operations at KLC and KACo.

“It’s clear by the examples of extravagant spending and lack of transparency that these agencies and their boards need the necessary tools to fulfill their responsibilities to the taxpayers,” Luallen said. “Through our audits, my office will not only help answer the many questions that have been raised but also provide specific recommendations to improve financial oversight going forward.”

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2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: SOURCES FOR ROLL CALL.COM REPORT THAT TREY GRAYSON (POTENTIAL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN KY) HAS RAISED NEARLY $500,000

June 27, 2009

Sources close to Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R), who has formed a Senate exploratory committee, say he is on track to report raising close to $500,000 in the second quarter of the year. Grayson had only two months to fundraise this quarter after filing his exploratory committee in early May.

Grayson, who has said he does not plan to challenge Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and has said he will only run if the incumbent decides to step aside…  

2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: DR RAND PAUL(POTENTIAL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN KY) HAS RAISED OVER $100,000

From WBKO.COM

Bowling Green physician Rand Paul is reporting that he has raised more than 100-thousand dollars for an exploratory committee looking at a possible campaign for U.S. Senate.

The Republican is positioning himself for a run if second-term GOP Senator Jim Bunning were to pull out of the race.

Paul is one of two Republicans who have formed exploratory committees.

The other, Secretary of State Trey Grayson hasn't yet said how much he has raised.

2010 U.S. SENATE WATCH: A CANCELLED FUNDRAISER FOR SENATOR BUNNING

(Looks bad for Senator Bunning; info from Politico.com, June 29, 2009)

 

One of the main reasons why Sen. Jim Bunning (R) is widely regarded as the most vulnerable Senate incumbent heading into 2010 is because of his poor fundraising performance. On the day that he reported raising $263,000 in the first quarter, Bunning admitted to local media that his fundraising was going “lousy.”

 

While the two-term Senator hadn’t offered any assessment of his second-quarter fundraising as of Friday afternoon, that total certainly wasn’t helped by the postponement of a $500-per-couple event that was scheduled to take place in Lexington today(June 29, 2009).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 SPECIAL SESSION OF THE KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY INFO COURTESY OF KY HOUSE SPEAKER PRO TEM LARRY CLARK

 

Overcame $1 billion shortfall

 

*      Protects SEEK, postsecondary schools, Medicaid and PVAs.

 

*      Uses $740 million in federal stimulus dollars.

 

*      Boosts funding for prosecutors/public defenders and parks.

 

*      Protects full holiday pay for state workers.

 

Created Kentucky ’s own economic stimulus plan

 

*      Exempts active-duty military pay from state income tax.  This will reward those who serve, and make Kentucky a more attractive place to live for military families.

 

*      Updates Kentucky ’s tax incentives and makes it easier for homegrown companies to qualify if they are looking to expand.

 

*      For one year, this gives new-car owners credit for value of trade-in, something more than 40 states already do; this runs from this September through Aug. 2010.  Prior to this, new vehicle owners paid the 6 percent tax on the full price of the vehicle, regardless of how much they actually paid when factoring in their trade-in.  This has a $25 million cap.

 

*      Encourages homeowners to buy newly built homes over the next year, beginning in late July.  This complements a federal incentive program for first-time buyers, and it should clear out a backlog of new homes that are currently empty.  It, too, has a $25 million cap.

 

*      Kentucky Speedway owners will be eligible for incentives to help pay for a track expansion, but only if the track lands a NASCAR Sprint Cup race; these incentives require the hiring of Kentucky workers.  There is also language that should lure the Breeders’ Cup horse race to Kentucky more often.  It will be at Churchill Downs in 2010.

 

*      This law also clears the way for a next-generation battery plant in Hardin Co. that could employ up to 2,000 people and make Kentucky a focal point in this new industry.

 

*      There are also new film/television incentives designed to bring more Hollywood productions to the Commonwealth.

 

*      Increases the cap for the Historic Preservation Program from $3 million to $5 million.

 

Authorized new projects

 

*      Legislators established a funding plan for Louisville bridges and other “mega” projects like the proposed I-69 bridge in Henderson .  This approach allows for local input.

 

*      Jefferson Community and Technical College can now use up to $10.5 million of its own money to buy Wayside Christian Mission building that had been the former Hotel Louisville.  The University of Kentucky , meanwhile, is authorized to use private money for a Commonwealth Stadium update and a new baseball stadium.  UK is also given authority to continue funding its hospital expansion.

 

VLTs (aka slots)

 

*      The House stood up for the $4 billion signature horse industry and its 100,000 jobs.

 

*      The House plan would have authorized more than $1 billion in new schools.  That includes $689 million for elementary and secondary schools and more than $474 million for new postsecondary facilities and equipment.

 

*      The plan would also have given a supplement to local schools’ capital funds, the first increase in this particular per-pupil expenditure in at least 50 years.  This would have helped fund additional tens of millions of dollars in new construction.