Daviess County House candidates speak at forum

November 2, 2018 | 3:49 pm

Updated November 3, 2018 | 7:45 pm

Graphic by Owensboro Times

Candidates running for the Kentucky House of Representatives in districts 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14 were invited to participate in a public forum hosted by the City of Owensboro and the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce on Thursday night.

With the Nov. 6 election only days away, the forum served as one of the final opportunities for candidates to express their views on political matters. A few candidates were no-shows for the forum, despite the high number of attendees who packed into City Hall for the event.

Matt Francis of the Messenger-Inquirer moderated the event. The candidates were given 90 seconds to answer questions written by members of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.

Incumbent District 7, candidate Suzanne Miles (R) said she voted in favor of the 6 percent sales tax added to 17 services across Kentucky, but said those who voted in favor of the bill were unaware that nonprofits would be taxed as well.

“I co-sponsored the bill to not tax nonprofits, going forward,” Miles said. She added that her reasoning behind voting in favor of the sales tax was, instead of taxing the community, she thought it better to go toward a consumption-based tax.

“Nothing’s ever going to be done perfectly,” Miles said of the added tax on nonprofits. “This was the very first step, and nobody’s done anything in a very long time to fix this. It wasn’t intended for nonprofits. We have addressed it by filing a bill.”

As for the “Bathroom Bill,” which was filed in the House’s last session and sets gender stipulations for public restrooms, Miles said she did not co-sponsor the bill.

“I think our government has bigger issues we need to focus on. I think people need to figure out where to go to the bathroom on their own without the government,” Miles said.

Miles’s opponent, Joy Gray (D) was present for opening statements but said she was choosing to leave the forum early to attend her granddaughter’s first eighth grade basketball game. Before leaving, Gray told the crowd that, despite what’s been said about her, she is very much a Christian.

For the 11th District race, neither candidate was present for the forum. It was not clear as to why James Buckmaster (R) or Rob Wiederstein (D) did not attend.

The 12th District featured only Democratic candidate Bruce Kunze as his opponent, incumbent Jim Gooch (R) was not present.

Kunze said he would have voted against the 6 percent sales tax placed on Kentucky services as the bill picked winners and losers by not including all state services in the added sales tax.

“They [state legislators] needed revenue for education, and it wasn’t being raised the right way,” Kunze said. “You have to find the revenue first.”

As for the included nonprofit tax as part of the bill, Kunze said current legislation has the ability to put a stop to those nonprofit organizations currently being taxed.

“Legislation should exempt them from that part. I don’t think that’d be too difficult for them to do,” Kunze said.

Kunze said Home Rule — the ability for local governments to set their own path and not be controlled by the state — was a positive for communities like Owensboro which, at this point Kunze believes has been “taxed enough.”

“We do need to have a level playing field. This needs to be done by a referendum. The local community needs to have a referendum to approve or oppose taxes,” Kunze said.

The 13th District candidates Jim Glenn (D) and incumbent D.J. Johnson ( R ) were both present for the forum’s entirety. As for the added sales tax to 17 Kentucky services, which many feel was unfair to businesses who were chosen to be taxed while others remained exempt, Johnson said the bill was a “step one” process and crucial to building Kentucky’s economy.

“There’s no income tax in Tennessee, and it keeps people there,” Johnson said. “We’re moving forward in the direction we need to go to be competitive with other states.”

Johnson said, like Miles, he co-sponsored the bill to fix the added tax to nonprofits in Kentucky, claiming the Department of Revenue said they had to include the tax on nonprofit organizations because the Kentucky Supreme Court came down with a ruling to include nonprofits as part of the bill.

As for the Bathroom Bill, Johnson said he thinks both sides of the issue deserve to be heard. He gave Jim Glenn credit for his idea in doing a study across the community to see how others felt about the issue before making big decisions.

“I’m not interested in curtailing anybody’s rights. There are two sides,” Johnson said. “It’s a very difficult topic. I’m concerned about everyone included in this issue — not just one group.”

Glenn, meanwhile, said the sales tax on services wasn’t something he would’ve voted for.

“I don’t think it was cut across the entire state where everyone was paying taxes — we need to make the taxes fairer for everyone,” Glenn said.

As for nonprofits being laid with a sales tax, Glenn’s answer was short and sweet.

“Correct the problem on the nonprofits, period,” Glenn said.

Glenn was also the first candidate to bring up the idea of doing a community study in regard to the “Bathroom Bill.” He said those in both local and state-level government positions should see how the community feels before making any heavy decisions.

“Do a study; look at what places are doing what across the country. We should ask people in District 13 what they think about it and try to figure this out,” Glenn said.

As District 14 does not have an incumbent running in this year’s election, Elizabeth Belcher (D) and Scott Lewis (R) are both running for the first time.

Belcher said she wouldn’t have voted for the sales tax issued to the 17 selected services in Kentucky.

“It affects the poor and working families most by taking a portion of their income. This makes up for loss when taxes were cut for the top 1 percent, and it doesn’t even come close to making up for that deficit,” Belcher said.

As for the “Bathroom Bill,” Belcher said it’s a divisive issue, citing how it has affected North Carolina’s economy in negative ways.

“Male and female truck drivers share bathrooms all the time, and they don’t want to get arrested,” Belcher said. “North Carolina did a study — they’ve lost millions of dollars because of this issue.”

In regard to public education and the workforce development, Belcher said SEEK funds have been lowered 16 percent, meaning the government needs better partnerships with community colleges.

“We need better jobs — making $10 or $12 dollars an hour isn’t going to cut it,” Belcher said. “We have to look at better ways. We are shifting funds from the state to the local level, and it’s raising taxes.”

Belcher’s opponent, Scott Lewis, said in regard to taxing services across Kentucky, he was confused as to why the state legislature chose 17 specific businesses while exempting others.

“Why those 17?” Lewis asked. “I’m still not sure on that question. I feel like we rushed through that and more time needs to be spent on tax modernization. I wouldn’t have voted for it in that form.”

Lewis said he believes the inclusion of nonprofits being taxed was “unintended” because Kentucky relies on nonprofit organizations for a number of services.

Lewis also feels that public education is the best way of getting students prepared for the workforce.

“Charter schools isn’t the answer in the state of Kentucky,” Lewis said. “Communities and funding for qualified teachers are ways to fix that. Education is a driving force — not only for workforce development, but for the economy.”

November 2, 2018 | 3:49 pm

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