Two elected officials known well in Fayette County squared off in front of the Lexington Forum to show why they'd be better to represent the area in the Kentucky Senate. While the two shared opinions on many issues, Forum members were able to see stark contrasts between the two.
Twelve-year veteran of the Kentucky House of Representatives Kathy Stein and six-year LFUCG councilman Chuck Ellinger II are vying for the senate seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, who has moved on to the Fayette Circuit Court as a judge.
Ellinger, a Republican, challenged Stein's judgment during the most recent session, where she blocked the House Judiciary Committee from voting on two bills that would have required women wishing to have abortions to view an ultrasound before the procedure, and one that would have put tougher restrictions on identification aimed at curbing illegal immigrants.
"What I did in that session in the Judiciary Committee was real leadership. We had over 300 bills to come in front of the Judiciary Committee Ö Yes, I did not allow a vote on House Bill 304 (the immigration bill); I thought it was bad public policy Ö the issue is federal," Stein said in response to Ellinger.
Both candidates felt the state constitution should be amended to allow localities the right to issue a local sales tax as long as it is approved by a local vote. But it came with a caveat for Ellinger. "Somebody like a Lexington or a Louisville, it would be good for them Ö you've got to have revenue sharing on that, and we have to work with the other counties," he said. Under that model, if Lexington residents were to approve a hike in the sales tax, surrounding counties would receive the newly generated Fayette County tax revenue, as it would be assumed their residents would have paid the tax while shopping in Fayette County.
Stein carried a bill that would have placed the amendment on the ballot in the last session. Though the bill fell mostly on deaf ears in the Capitol, Stein said that was common with new legislation that often takes multiple sessions to go through.
But Stein felt that was just one of the changes that should be made to the tax code that went under a slight restructuring in 2005 with former Gov. Ernie Fletcher's Tax Modernization plan.
"Whenever a new tax comes up, people are very frightened about it," Stein said. "Our economy has moved from a manufacturing economy to a service economy and it's time that our budget reflect that."
Both candidates are in favor of an increase on the cigarette tax that was raised from 3 cents to 30 cents a pack as a part of the 2005 legislation, though they differ on how much the tax should go up. Ellinger favors an increase of a quarter per pack with all proceeds going toward health care in the state while Stein would like to see an extra 75 cents a pack, which would put the cost of a pack in line with most of the seven surrounding states. In the past year the state's revenue from the cigarette tax has fallen 22 percent, suggesting that the tax is doing its job encouraging residents to quit, which should lower the commonwealth's cost of health care in the long-term.
Ellinger touted throughout the debate a promise from Senate Republican leadership of a seat on the powerful Appropriations and Revenue Committee that decides the budget. "That'll give me the opportunity to be in the room talking about the important issues of education, of health care, of the economy," Ellinger said. "My opponent won't even be in the room when these are being discussed and I will be in there making these tough decisions to spend your money."
That is precisely the cause of Frankfort's recent problems according to Stein. "That, friends, is the problem in the Senate. Too many things are done behind closed doors. Our citizens do not deserve that; they need to have honest, open government," she said.
As for the 13th Senate District that they want to represent, both suggested ways to encourage economic expansion in the city.
"We need to make Fayette County a magnet for smart, creative people. I believe that with the leadership you see now that we are beginning to do that," Stein said referencing leadership at the University of Kentucky and elsewhere in Fayette County.
Ellinger said bringing more people to visit the city is the main answer. "We have to take what we have and show the world and have people come here. When you have tourism dollars coming in, they recycle and they leave their money here. Your infrastructure is not bothered by them and they leave. So from that perspective I think tourism has to be a big part (of economic development)," he said.
Both said support of UK is a necessity for economic development, but Ellinger challenged Stein's vote against a bill that funded UK. Stein rebutted, stating her vote was in protest of the low level of funding UK was to receive compared to their request, which she said forced a large increase in the school's tuition.
Though the breakfast debate took place at the Forum biannual Keeneland meeting, the Nov. 7 meeting will return to Annette's City CafÈ on Old Vine St. where the topic will be Right to Work and whether Kentucky should join the states that allow employees to opt out of unions.