Oldham County Republicans certainly got it right on May 18th in choosing our next county government leader.Before moving forward with commentary, let me just say two things:
1 - It's unfortunate that the two-party system is severely slanted in the GOP's favor in Oldham County. That's not a knock by any means towards Mr. Voegele. He ran and won decidedly in the Republican Primary, and he deserves everyone's support as he moves from his Magistrate's seat to the Judge/Executive's seat come January 1, 2011. While he faced off against former Magistrate and Deputy County Judge/Executive Paula Gish in the primary, and handed her and her backers a resounding defeat, it would still be in the best interests of all residents to have a choice come November. Be that as it may, Mr. Voegele took his message and clear vision to the voters, and they responded overwhelmingly to his campaign. And something tells me that if they could have, many Democrats would have voted for him too (including this scribe). It is my hope that the Oldham County Democratic Party will regroup, rebuild and field a full slate of candidates in ALL races come 2014. The two-party system has a purpose, and ALL registered voters need a choice in both primary and general elections.
2 - The second point is that from this writing forward, The Observer will recognize Mr. Voegele as our County Judge/Executive-Elect. This is due to the fact that no Democrat filed to run in the Primary (therefore he faces no ballot competition in November), and it's highly unlikely that any person ("Tea Party" folks included) in this county could mount a write-in campaign that would muster enough votes to win come November. That's called reality folks.
On to the results...
Mr. Voegele ran a clean campaign, spoke at length about his vision for our county, took no campaign money from developers, raised about 1/4 the money that Paula Gish raised, worked tirelessly to get his message out, talked and listened to residents (not just voters) and let people know that he would be a voice for ALL people of Oldham County, not just the "select" few.
He actually had substance to his ideas and visions, not just mere "talking points" and had very effective and creative campaign signs throughout the county. He also proved beyond a shadow of a doubt in his first 3-1/2 years on Fiscal Court that he's not afraid to ask the real questions that need to be addressed, press for answers and sometimes in a subtle way, and sometimes maybe not, buck the "good ol' boy" system that has been in place for far too long. How refreshing to see a true public servant.
Paula Gish on the other hand, gladly took money from developers, other county office holders and employees, and of course, had the endorsement of outgoing Judge/Executive Duane Murner. Didn't work out too well for her, did it ? Plus, having been found in the 11th hour it seems, to be in violation of the Federal Hatch Act, she waited until the last possible minute to resign as Deputy County Judge/Executive (effect last Friday, May 14th) and approved by Fiscal Court on Primary Election Day, May 18th. The media coverage http://http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100510/NEWS01/5100351/-1/ZONE09/Oldham+deputy+county-judge+resigns+so+she+can+keep+running+for+the+top+job of this surely left a "bad taste" in the mouths of many voters and they showed it at the polls. "End runs" for the "elite" are not acceptable these days, and voters let her know it. Murner and Gish knew the Federal Hatch Act situation was similar to the one already decided in Kenton County, yet chose to drag it out and wait on a ruling from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The results could also be seen as a rebuff to the current administration and their policies and perhaps her lackluster campaign.
More to come soon on Gish's future with Oldham County government...
Mr. Voegele deserves his win and more. He now deserves all of our support, as it is his task, come January, to lead this sometimes troubled county forward. Like any other elected official, he deserves a fair amount of time once he assumes office to begin to put his vision into place. Not everyone will always agree with him, and that's healthy...but he does deserve our respect for his position and time to prove his worth as our next County Judge/Executive.
It will be interesting to watch and see now, how much of an "olive branch" will be offered to him by the current administration and his fellow Magistrates. Mr. Voegele's election has brought hope to our county once again. Hope for truly open, honest and transparent government. Hope for dealing with the fiasco that is called "Oldham Reserve". Hope for our roads, green space, open areas, parks and controlled development. Hope for holding the line on the county budget and expenses, fiscal responsibility with our tax dollars and most of all, maintaining and improving our quality of life, which was one his campaign themes.
Congratulations to Judge/Executive-Elect David Voegele...your hard work, clear vision and hope for our county paid off. You took your message to the people, they listened, and they gave you a clear mandate to lead our county forward come January.
Job well done.
