Legislator must focus on serving others, not himself
Forty-five thousand people. That’s quite a lot of folks. It’s a humbling responsibility to be charged with the task of representing those people.
But that was my job as a member of the House for the 81st District, serving Madison County.
Many times, people would come to me with a problem. They would start with the phrase, “There ought to be a law…”
I would listen to their concerns and look for ways to solve problems. I wasn’t always successful, but I always tried to improve the lives of constituents.
For example, Madison Middle students and the principal asked if I would sponsor an anti-bullying bill. After engaging students in some in-depth research, we realized the difficulty of enforcing such a law. We chose an anti-bullying awareness path and got the bill passed. I also sponsored bills related to low-income housing, teacher planning time, nerve-gas removal and children’s health issues.
I no longer have the honor of doing this job, but I still want the very best for our district.
C. Wesley Morgan now represents House 81, and he is charged with the task of fighting for the 45,000 people in that district. However, it has been painfully obvious that he has not taken the time to understand the legislative process and is looking out for his own interests.
Morgan owns four liquor stores and a boat docked at Lee’s Ford Marina in Lake Cumberland. He has filed six bills intended to help himself as the owner of a liquor store. He’s also filed one bill that would repeal a state law that lets marinas enforce a lien on a boat.
Why? Because he owes Lee’s Ford nearly $28,000 and they have a lien on his boat.
If you think Morgan’s bills don’t deserve to be heard, I ask you to join me and take action. Call or email the majority leadership.
Their names, numbers and email addresses are on the www.lrc.ky.gov website. If they send the bill to a committee, then let that committee chair know these bills shouldn’t be heard.
Be ready at every step in the road to let these lawmakers know that Morgan’s bills are self-serving and wrong. They shouldn’t see the light of day. It’s just that simple.
Morgan and all politicians need to realize they have been elected to serve all people — not themselves.
Rita Smart of Richmond, who served six years in the House, owns and operates a bed-and-breakfast.
At issue: Herald-Leader article, “Liquor dealer in Kentucky legislature files a half-dozen booze bills”
This story was originally published February 3, 2017 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Legislator must focus on serving others, not himself."