Re-elect Kay, Flood, Westrom
Three Central Kentucky legislators have earned another term in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Voters would do well to support Rep. James Kay, D-Versailles, in the 56th district; Rep. Kelly Flood, D-Lexington, in the 75th district, and Rep. Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, in the 79th.
We did not endorse Kay in 2013 when he ran in a hotly contested special election to fill out the term of a retired legislator for the seat representing Woodford County, a portion of eastern Franklin County and a small portion of western Fayette County. Kay, who won that election and went on to win a full term in 2014, has been a quick learner and demonstrated an impressive work ethic during his time in the General Assembly.
Kay, of Versailles, took the lead in proposing legislation to clean up the personnel mess revealed in a special audit of the Legislative Research Commission which passed the House only to die in the Senate. However, many of his proposed reforms have been adopted under new LRC leadership.
This year, Kay championed an effort proposed by the Prichard Committee Student Voice Team to restore the so-called “Powerball Promise” to use lottery proceeds to help low-income students attend college and prohibit diverting the money to other uses. That measure passed both houses only to be vetoed by Gov. Matt Bevin. Kay supports a statewide smoking ban and has voted to extend health-care coverage in Kentucky.
His opponent, Republican Dan Fister, also of Versailles, is making his first run for public office. Fister did not accept an invitation to meet with the editorial board or to appear at a Lexington League of Women Voters forum. Views laid out in his campaign material are a fairly standard endorsement of good jobs and a pledge to manage state funds responsibly. We have no argument with these goals but he gives no indication of how they will be achieved.
Kelly Flood has represented the 75th district, which comprises a portion of Fayette County that includes the University of Kentucky and many downtown neighborhoods, since 2009. Her opponent, Republican Gary McCollum, is making his first run for office.
Flood has been an effective voice supporting education funding and now serves as chair of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education. She was recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education for championing an effort to increase technological support in school districts throughout the state, including faster internet and more effective protection from cyber attacks. She has been a consistent supporter of restoring voting rights to non-violent felons who have served their time, and of comprehensive tax reform. Flood handled Senate Bill 56 in the House last session aimed at getting habitual drunk drivers off the road by extending the “look back” period during which a driver’s DUI record can be examined for repeated DUI offenses from five to 10 years.
Flood’s more comprehensive understanding of some hot-button issues was evident when she and McCollum met at the League of Women Voters forum. Asked about charter schools, Flood pointed out private, for-profit charters would suck money away that public schools could use to tailor educational opportunities for students, while McCollum defended them as a way to extend school choices. McCollum did not accept an invitation to meet with the editorial board.
Susan Westrom, who has served her Fayette County district since 1999, again faces Ken Kearns who unsuccessfully challenged her in 2014. Kearns also ran in 2012 but lost in the GOP primary, and tried to win the seat unsuccessfully in 1990. Westrom has been an independent, effective legislator, fighting consistently for transparency and good government. We saw no reason to recommend Kearns over her two years ago and see none now.
Some of Westrom’s accomplishments include improving the state’s child-protection system by pushing for external review of cases when children under the care of the system die. Working with a committed neighborhood group in her district, Westrom has also led the charge for more effective oversight of area development districts throughout the state that handled hundreds of millions of public funds. Westrom has long championed a statewide smoking ban, a key consideration in her MVP recognition in 2014 by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Re-elect Kay, Flood, Westrom."