Switching
Horses
I have often said that as the City of
Somerset goes, so goes the county. It just can't be ignored that the
City influences and, in some cases, sets the agenda for the County.
For me, from this point of view, what happens in the City of Somerset
is cause for attention from the residents of the County. The mayoral
race this fall is a prime example. Those of us in the County don't
have a vote in this race but we do have an axe to grind. When the
City is influential in attracting business to the area it is not only
City residents that benefit and who work at these places. It is also
County and that should give us a right to be interested even if we
can't vote.
One of the issues facing the voters is
one that is dear to County residents also. The City Council and the
Mayor established a fuel center in order to provide respite from the
recurring spikes in gasoline prices. That drew quite a bit of
criticism from those who don't like any kind of government
competition with private business. It's a matter of ideology for
conservatives but I'll bet quite a few of them have taken advantage
of gas prices when they have jumped 30 cents or 40 cents per gallon
overnight. Personally, I think that if there is a way that
government can protect citizens from predatory practices then doing
so is a proper use of governmental prerogative. Mr. Keck has said
that he would not move to close the facility since that power is held
by the city council but there are some on the city council who did
not want to see the facility opened and who would join him in closing
it. My preference is for government to serve the average Joe rather
than serve the business interests. In this case all that is being
done is to provide an alternative when businesses take advantage of a
captive market.
Mayor Girdler has caught a lot of flak
from many who were of the opinion that Somerset did not need a new
City Hall and that the new building has been a boondoggle. I don't
think that most people understand the capabilities that became
available with the new building. Prior to the building the gas
service had someone else handle the billing and some other functions.
The Somerset Gas Service is quite a massive operation and the new
facility provided the ability to monitor the system and make changes
in house. It also gave the City the ability to handle its own
billings. Through the operation of the City owned gas service it has
been possible for the City to make other services more affordable to
its citizens. A question that I would have is that if the City Fuel
Center is opposed would there be opposition to the City owning this
business?
Mayor Girdler has announced that a
large new company is going to locate on one of the old properties
that has closed in Ferguson. The City will be providing massive
amounts of natural gas from which the profits will flow to the City.
The jobs will flow to both the City and County. This plant would not
have been possible without the resources in the new City Hall
building.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting
Mr. Keck. I know quite a few people who have and from all accounts
he is a great guy and I have no doubt that is true. People often
point out that he is a Christian man and is very involved in
charitable efforts and other civic actions. All of those things are
important to me and it is also important that government be conducted
in a transparent manner which he has pledged to do. From his
appearance before the Democratic Women's Club we know that one of his
goals is to maximize benefits from tourism and I can support that
without question. Somerset lacks direct access to Lake Cumberland
which is the tourism draw so the options are limited. Besides
lodging and dining it seems that entertainment when not on the lake
would be the only avenues open to development and I am unaware of any
shortage of any of those venues. Perhaps more advertisement in
surrounding cities could be helpful.
With Mayor Girdler there is a lengthy
record of government service to be examined. That can be a good
thing and sometimes a bad thing. With Mr. Keck there is not so much
of a public record to be examined. In my opinion Mayor Girdler has
done a pretty good job but certainly not without ruffling some
feathers. He can be a little prickly to deal with but usually ends
up on the right side of issues. There are a few issues where some
have had some serious differences with him but that is one of the
dangers of having to run on your record. With Mr. Keck one has to
look at some other things such as business associations which include
some of the major developers of the areas you see on South 27. He
has been known to count the Governor among his friends and if his
inclinations are anything like the Governor's it may make a
difference to you. If you are a teacher this could be an indicator
of his political leanings. There is just not as much history to look
at.
My Take? From my perspective Mayor
Girdler has done a good job and deserves to be reelected. I believe
that absent any compelling reason to vote against him there is no
reason to switch horses.
