The Joint Interim Council on State and Local Government head a hearing to learn about problems with how the NKAPC petition was handled in an attempt to correct future problems. You can read about it by clicking here. The Kenton County Clerk was invited to attend and speak but she was unavailable. Interestingly, the Chair of the Committee, Senator Damon Thayer, commented that an elected official has NEVER rejected an invitation to an attend and speak to the Council. The Clerk spoke loud and clear to the more than 24,000 people that signed the petition that she did not want to hear from them either. The following is a summary of what the numbers represent.

In Kenton County, approximately 24,314 signatures were submitted in support of petition to place the NKAPC on the ballot. The total number of votes cast one week ago for the two candidates for Governor was 26,186. The winning candidate got 13,326 votes. It is disappointing, frustrating and maddening that the petition process is being foiled in Kenton County, not by a lack of voter enthusiasm or public involvement, but by the legal process itself.

Shakespeare in the play Hamlet has Gertrude say "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." In Kenton County could it be that Clerk Gabriel is protesting too much and the County Attorney and his loyal staff are filling the role of Claudius? The County Attorney has filed a federal lawsuit. How much more can one protest, after three of the 24,314 names were disallowed by the Clerk? What about the remaining 24,311 signatures that wanted to get the issue on the ballot?

Remember that in the gubernatorial election one week ago the winner got 13,326 votes.....those wishing to see the NKAPC on the ballot got 10,985 more votes than the winning candidate for governor. Despite the huge number of signatures collected, the power of the government was and is being used in Kenton County to deny, to intimidate, and to threaten those that wish to have their voices heard.

"Follow the money" was commonly used by those supporting the NKAPC while signatures were being gathered. A potential conflict of interest with the County Attorney who also represents the NKAPC also surfaced while signatures were being gathered. Now that the Kenton County taxpayers are paying the legal expenses for what appears to be a frivolous lawsuit, how about let's once again "follow the money."