Inaugural committee for Beshear and Coleman hopes to raise at least $600,000
A committee to finance the Dec. 10 inauguration celebration of Gov.-elect Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov.-elect Jacqueline Coleman has been created but contributions to it do not have to be made public until Jan. 8.
The Beshear Coleman Inaugural 2019 Committee hopes to raise between $600,000 and $700,000 for the inaugural activities, said chairman Thomas K. Elliott, the senior vice president of Old National Bank in Louisville.
Even though there is no money in the current state budget for inaugural activities, the outgoing Bevin Administration approved a contract on Oct. 15 to build a huge stage in front of the Capitol where the inauguration ceremonies will take place.
Records with the state Finance and Administration Cabinet show that the competitively bid contract went to T and B Equipment Co. of Ashland, Va.., for $249,208.50. The contract is through Dec. 31.
“We appreciate that,” said Elliott. “Certainly the present administration has been very kind and cooperative with us. Lots of good people of all political parties are helping with their skills and labors.”
The inaugural committee registered Nov. 13 with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.
Inaugural committees must report their finances quarterly to the registry. That means the Beshear-Coleman committee will have until Jan. 8 to make public its first report.
Beshear had little to say about funding for inaugural events when a reporter asked him Tuesday if he would take outside contributions for them.
“We are still working on exactly how and what rules we are studying. We will be forthcoming with all of that,” he said.
Other than a parade with teachers as grand marshals and the swearing-in ceremony, Beshear has not named other inaugural activities. “We are working diligently on that,” said spokeswoman Crystal Staley.
Elliot said he is not interested in landing a position in the Beshear Administration. “We’re longtime friends and I am glad to do this,” he said. Old National Bank will be depository for funds the inaugural committee raises.
The committee’s treasurer is M. Melinda Karns of Lexington, who was treasurer for Beshear’s successful Democratic campaign against Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican. She is director emeritus of Blue & Co., an accounting and consulting office in Lexington.
The committee to raise funds for the inauguration was set up to be active from Nov. 7, 2019, to June 30, 2020.
State lawmakers in 1992 created inaugural committees and charged the state registry to regulate them.
There is no limit on how much an individual can contribute to an inaugural committee but corporations cannot contribute. The law defines a contribution as a payment, distribution, loan, deposit or gift of money or any other thing of value. A committee can accept anonymous contributions but none in excess of $100.
Any money an inaugural committee has collected but not spent can be held over for the next inauguration, given to a charity or returned to contributors on a pro rata basis. The unspent money cannot go to a political party.
The committee formed for Bevin and Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton in 2015 raised nearly $1.1 million. It was chaired by coal executive Joe Craft and his wife, Kelly Knight Craft, who now is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The Bevin committee spent only about half of its contributions for inauguration expenses. The rest was given in 2017 to #WeAreKY! Inc., a charity to upkeep historic buildings in Frankfort, including the Capitol, Governor’s Mansion and Old Governor’s Mansion.
