BOPTROT felon Jerry Bronger pushing for Greg Stumbo’s gambling bill? You bet your booties. Jerry has worked for Greg on every campaign he’s been affiliated with or he’s gotten his grandson Chad a job each and every time. Bronger and Danny Ross (and Larry Clark) work hand-in-hand 24/7.
A former Kentucky state lawmaker who went to prison for taking gambling-related bribes in the 1990s’ Operation BOPTROT scandal is working behind the scenes this winter for House Speaker Greg Stumbo’s slots bill.
Former Rep. Jerry Bronger, D-Louisville, met with Stumbo at the Capitol on Jan. 15 and discussed Stumbo’s bill to allow electronic slots machines at horse racetracks. Bronger said he strongly supports Stumbo’s bill and agreed to reach out to his old friends in the legislature and the racetrack industry to promote it.
In an interview Monday, Bronger said his interest is purely as a politically savvy Kentuckian who supports horse racing, and he is not a paid lobbyist for Stumbo or anyone else.
“I told him, I came out and said to him, ‘Greg, the only thing about this is, can you get the Senate? I don’t think you’re gonna get the Senate,’” said Bronger, now 73 and retired. “I told him all I could do is keep talking, y’know, and try to get everybody, try to see everybody that’s down there who I know.”
And isn’t it interesting that Greg Stumbo at first admitted to meeting with Bronger to discuss the slots bill? Now he’s changed his mind and has decided to deny the conversation ever took place.
Updated 4:45 p.m.: Pierce Whites called several hours later Monday from the speaker’s office to “clarify” his earlier comments. Stumbo now disputes Bronger’s account of their conversation and denies that they discussed his slots bill when they met at the Capitol last month, Whites said.
Kudos to John Cheves on this eye-opening story.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Andy // Feb 3, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I was especially amused at how Cheves has this long paragraph of Stumbo lackey Pierce Whites explaining how good friends Stumbo and Bronger are and how no one could possibly expect them to not be involved in the bill together, and then just adds the “clarification” at the end.
2 jake // Feb 3, 2009 at 5:13 pm
That’s because John Cheves knows just how hilarious the Stumbo line is. I’d bet money that Pierce is slightly embarrassed that he had to “clarify” after Bronger and Stumbo had several mini-strokes in a row over it all.
3 Jeff Noble // Feb 3, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Notwithstanding anything you are writing about the slots bill, something I personally do not support because it favors one business-entity over all the others, I want to say a brief word about Jerry Bronger. I’ve known Bronger a long time; I consider him a friend. I first remember Bronger as an Alderman in the old (and missed) City of Louisville. We all know upon being elected to Frankfort, Bronger made a mistake, got caught, and then paid the penalty assigned to him by the Commonwealth; thus life goes on.
If the Speaker (or anyone else) wants help passing a slots bill and thinks Jerry Bronger is the guy to help get it done, that is their dilemma, good or bad. Bronger isn’t a pariah; he isn’t a bad person. He is still very well known and liked in the Dixie Highway political community and elsewhere.
Jerry Bronger is also one of the people whose voting rights might be restored if the lefties among us get our way and get passed a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to felons. Representative Tom Riner has one such bill, HB196, which is somewhat restricitve; Representatives Jessie Crenshaw and Darryl Owens have another, HB70, which is less so. So, this entry raises the question of whether a person supports the restoration of voting rights to felons. I do, believing that once a Court or Judicial Proceding assigns to a criminal a sentence, the restrictions applied with that sentence, such as the loss of the right to vote, should be restored upon completion of the assigned sentence. That’s my belief.
Where do the rest of y’all stand on this matter?
JN
4 jake // Feb 4, 2009 at 10:49 am
Paul Patton gave Jerry Bronger his voting rights back.
5 anon // Feb 4, 2009 at 11:54 am
Bronger can vote thanks to Patton, ok. Should other felons be allowed to vote?
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