Last week we told you about dissension in the ranks of the Kentucky Democratic Party over nominees for the Kentucky Board of Elections. The state parties (rather, the two most vote-getting parties as of the most recent election) are each legally required to submit at least five names to to the governor as nominees for the board. Unfortunately, KDP chairperson Jennifer Moore was being cagey with information before a State Central Executive Committee conference call and some members of the committee were angered at being kept in the dark. An uproar was born.
We published an email revealing the dissent and in the process of doing so, discovered that party leadership only planned on submitting three (3) names to the governor. Dozens of people wrote in, complained, flipped out, got up in arms, foamed and everything else short of getting the vapors. Their outrage over the silly lack of understanding of the KRS on KDP’s part must have worked because the party came through with– wait for it– five names.
Those names, along with the price they paid for their nomination after the jump…
Here are the nominees from the Kentucky Democratic Party:
- George Blackburn, Ohio County.
- George Russell, Franklin County
- Mike Libs, Daviess County
- John Caudill, incumbent
- Cheryl ?, Daviess County, originally McCracken County
You may be wondering what it costs to buy a seat on the Kentucky Board of Elections. Right? Right. So let’s take a peek at all of the contributions which may be pertinent in this situation:
RUSSELL, GEORGE
MONGIARDO, DANIEL – VIA DANIEL MONGIARDO FOR US SENATE
04/15/2004 250.00
04/15/2004 250.00
RUSSELL, GEORGE
KENTUCKY STATE DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
11/03/2006 300.00
RUSSELL, GEORGE – BESHEAR, STEVEN – $1,000.00 on 01/03/2007
RUSSELL, GEORGE – BESHEAR, STEVEN – $1,000.00 on 07/24/2007
LIBS, MIKE – BESHEAR, STEVEN – $1,000.00 on 05/14/2007
LIBS, MIKE – BESHEAR, STEVEN – $1,000.00 on 09/25/2007
So. From George Russell: $500 to Dan Mongiardo, $300 to the SCEC, $2,000 to Steve Beshear and from Mike Libs: $2,000 to Steve Beshear.
With no idea of their qualifications and no idea who nominated these individuals, what are we left to assume?
Thanks to a reader for filling in the cracks:
Libs is the former County Clerk and was one of the first to do the Baskins Robbins retirement plan. He was re-elected in 2002 and right after winning the election, retired for a month, then returned to double dip the system for the last four years. He worked on Beshears campaign from day one of his entering the race.
The Cheryl you are mentioning is the former Cheryl Beasley, now Cheryl Edge. A former Patton constituent service employee who married another Patton employees, Jeremy Edge, Sheryl worked on Mongiardo’s failed US Senate race, and went on to help and work on coordinating some of Beshears fundraising in Western KY.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Forks of Elkhorn // Feb 18, 2008 at 10:49 am
The KRS says the names are to be submitted by the parties, not by indivuduals; it is probable there was a call by the chairwoman of the KDP for names, and these were the ones submitted. But, nothing in the KRS says the “nominators” are to be identified. You obviously have a contact there – have you asked them if a call for names was made prior to the submission of these five?
KRS117.015(2)
The board shall consist of the Secretary of State and six (6) members to be
appointed by the Governor as provided in this subsection. The Secretary of State
shall serve as the chairman of the state board and the chief election official for the
Commonwealth. The members shall serve for a term of four (4) years or until their
successors are appointed. Members shall be at least twenty-five (25) years of age
and qualified voters of this state. No appointed member shall be a candidate for
public office, have been a candidate for public office for two (2) years prior to his
appointment, or have been convicted of any election law offense. Two (2) members
shall be appointed by the Governor from a separate list of at least five (5) names
submitted by the state central executive committee of each of the two (2) political
parties that polled the largest vote in the last preceding election for state officials.
The list shall be submitted to the Governor by February 15 of 1992, and the
appointments of the Governor shall be made by April 1 of the same year. Two (2)
separate lists shall be submitted to the Governor by August 15 of 1990 and every
four (4) years thereafter, and two (2) appointments shall be made from these lists by
September 15 of each year in which the lists are received. Vacancies shall be filled
in the same manner as provided for original appointments, and the person appointed
to fill the vacancy shall be of the same political party as his predecessor.
2 jake // Feb 18, 2008 at 10:52 am
There was no call for names.
As we said in the original story, the SCEC membership was agitated over not being able to find out who was nominated or anything about their credentials prior to the call to finalize the nominations. Meaning the nominees just mysteriously appeared in Jennifer Moore’s hands.
No one I spoke with on the SCEC had a clue who they were before the final call. And no one I spoke with after the call was confident in the nominees.
3 shonna // Feb 18, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Forks of Elkhorns seems like a KDP party hack and is always defending the democratic party like they never do any wrong.
I myself am tired of the backroom deals and the few believing they know what is best for the many. The democratic party better grow up fast.
4 John // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:32 pm
More info on the nominees …
George Russell is associated with Judge William Graham
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