Letter to the Editor as submitted by Mike Fisher, Chairman of the Harrison County Republican Party
When the county was leveraged 8000 registered Democrats to 900 registered Republicans, no one was saying we should get rid of partisan politics. As the number slowly grew to 2000 Republicans and then 3000 Republicans, no one said let’s be one big non-partisan group but as the numbers went to 4000 and then 5000 registered Republican voters, Democrats started to murmur. I believe Lee wrote the same basic article about non-partisanship last year in the newspaper.
Now, the county registration numbers sit at 6300 registered Republicans and less than 7300 registered
Democrats, you are hearing this chant non-stop. Not from the Republicans, never, but from the Dems
we hear this all the time.
WHY?
We can all wish that voters believe Lee’s dream and there is no difference at the local political level, but we all know that is not the truth. Don’t believe for one minute that the people saying this, believe it.
Ten or twenty years ago, when all the county elections were settled at the Democratic Primary because the Democrats ran this county, candidates had to believe and follow the Democratic Party platform, or you had no chance of being in office. A Democrat office holder could not recommend or appoint a Republican to a board position, not a position that had impact. This IS a FACT!
Why worry about which party someone is aligned with?
How many of the voters researched every candidate before the last election? Of course, we want to know what the county-wide candidates believe. I am sure most voters knew the beliefs of Jason Marshall and Alex Barnett. Did that same urgency follow into the City Commission or the Constables?
We are not all the same in our beliefs. What is your opinion on the Second amendment, Gun rights? What is your opinion on taxes and the use of our tax dollars? What about government regulations? The local government controls taxation in our county and the same people that are making the decisions on the animal shelter make the decisions on the economic incentives (or lack of) to bring jobs to Harrison
County or allow existing businesses to drift away.
Let me clarify.
I don’t think the current Fiscal Court or City Commission want to keep business out of our community but the path that these groups take are driven by the elected members of the Fiscal Court or City Commission. Do we raise taxes or cut them? These are decisions made at this local level and those decisions are based on the beliefs of the elected
officials, conservative or liberal.
Let me ask this question,
If it doesn’t matter which party a voter is registered, why doesn’t Lee or the Democratic folks all go to the courthouse and switch to Independent, or better yet, Republican? The Republican Primary will soon be the focus of our voters. People that care, will want to be registered prior to December 31 st , 2022.
Even when you have not researched each candidate, you can get a sense of the beliefs by the candidate’s registration. If you see a candidate registered, and supported, by the Republican party, you have an idea that they are not looking to raise your takes and want to reduce government regulation.
When you hear someone mention that local politics should be non-partisan, what they are really saying,
“We are in the minority and are losing our seat at the table to make decisions.” Democratic, one-party
rule in Harrison County is history.
It is time the voters get a voice. The Republicans in Harrison County are not here to blot out the Democratic voice. Unlike the previous 100+ years, we are here to listen to all voices, but we come with a different view of our county and a new pathway to the future. The citizens of Harrison County get to make the decisions and those decisions made in the latest election show that we need less government intervention and new incentives to drive new and small business, not new taxes.
I appreciate the Cynthiana Democrat recognizing the coming changes to our County Government and the interest in a voice for all. I am excited that the community was able to speak, and the one-party Democratic control is a thing of the past. If you want to see open and transparent government rule, take part in your Fiscal Court meetings. We will see change for the better.
Michael Fisher
County Chair,
Harrison County Republican Party