Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Switching Horses

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.






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