Veteran state lawmaker John ‘Bam’ Carney of Campbellsville dies after lengthy illness
Veteran state legislator John “Bam” Carney of Campbellsville, who battled a severe case of pancreatitis and infection since December 2019 and took his name out of the running last November for another term as House Republican leader, died Saturday morning. He was 51.
Carney, an educator, recently returned to his home after being hospitalized for about 18 months but had to be readmitted to the hospital in June. His family had requested prayer.
On Saturday, Carney was praised and honored by officials of both major parties, including U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Democrats.
“We deeply mourn the passing of state Representative Bam Carney, a good friend we were proud to serve with in the Kentucky House, and pray for his family during this difficult time. For more than a year and a half, he fought his illness with the same level of determination and dignity that he brought to his work as a legislator and as a legislative leader. He was an outstanding public servant who truly believed that, whatever our differences, we are united as Kentuckians. He will be missed, but his life and legacy will never be forgotten,” state House Democratic caucus leaders Joni Jenkins, Derrick Graham and Angie Hatton said in prepared statement.
McConnell said, “Bam Carney was a tireless public servant whose devotion to his fellow Kentuckians knew no bounds. He uplifted the lives of his constituents through more than a decade of hard work and dedication, deeply committed to Central Kentucky and its people. ... Throughout his tenure, Bam took on tough issues and fought for Kentucky’s most vulnerable students.”
Carney has represented the 51st House District made up of Taylor and Adair counties since 2009. He won re-election last November for another two-year term to the House, capturing about 79 percent of the vote over Democrat Richard Steele.
Carney began serving as House majority leader in 2019 after chairing the House Education Committee.
He was a strong advocate for school choice and was credited by several legislators for this year’s passage of a controversial school choice bill. The Council for Better Education has filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court challenging part of the new Kentucky law, House Bill 563. The law created state tax credits for donors to groups that can help families living in the state’s most populous counties pay for private school tuition.
After he was hospitalized on Dec. 23, 2019, Carney spent 65 days in intensive care in a Louisville hospital. After his Louisville hospital and rehabilitation stay, Carney was moved to Select Specialty, which is in Ephraim McDowell in Danville. It is a specialized acute care hospital that promotes recovery from critical and complex medical and surgical conditions. Ephraim McDowell is a regional medical center.
Mark Carney said last November that the family hoped to get his brother into a rehab facility in Elizabethtown to be closer to home. But a staffer at the Elizabethtown facility contracted COVID-19 and the move was not made.
Mark Carney said his brother was able to text some family members and partly able to shave himself. He remained on dialysis due to infections.
“During his long illness, he (Bam Carney) continued to serve in a different way by becoming an inspiration to others who face hardships,” McConnell said.
Carney’s professional experience included working as a social studies teacher and coach at Taylor County High School, special education teacher and coach at Campbellsville High School, social studies teacher and head basketball coach at Washington County High School, and for the Campbellsville Municipal Water Company.
He was a member of Living Grace Church and a teacher’s representative on the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization of Taylor County High School.
He had a master’s degree in instructional leadership from Campbellsville University.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete Saturday at Parrott & Ramsey Funeral Home in Campbellsville.
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 1:05 PM.
