All Entries in the "Damon Thayer" Category

Beshear signs into law new boundaries for Kentucky’s congressional districts

UPDATED AT 5:12 P.M.

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law Friday a compromise plan to redraw the boundaries of Kentucky’s six congressional districts after the plan rocketed through the General Assembly on Friday.

The new map in House Bill 302 moves part of Jessamine County, including Wilmore, and all of Garrard, Mercer and Boyle counties from Central Kentucky’s 6th District to the 2nd District, which extends west to Owensboro. Lincoln County was moved to Eastern Kentucky’s 5th District.

The 6th District gained the remaining portion of Scott County, a southern strip of Harrison County, and all of Robertson, Nicholas, Fleming, Bath, Menifee and Wolfe counties.

Those changes are expected to make it tougher for Republican Andy Barr to successfully challenge U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles.

Sen. Damon Thayer releases his client list

UPDATED AT 5:40 P.M.

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A Kentucky lawmaker who is expected to sponsor a constitutional amendment to allow casinos at horse racetracks has identified the clients of his private consulting firm, two of which have benefitted from his legislative work.

State Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, on Thursday said he provides marketing and public relations services to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Millennium Farms in Lexington, Wintergreen Stallion Station in Midway and Whispering Oaks Farm in Carencro, La.

Kentucky Speedway received a $20.5 million state tax break for which Thayer was a vocal advocate in the legislature’s 2009 special session. Six months after lawmakers voted for the tax break, Kentucky Speedway put Thayer on retainer, although Thayer and Speedway officials say the job was not related.

“No. Absolutely not,” Thayer said in a short interview Wednesday outside the Senate chamber..

Senate panel approves bill to cap state debt

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – A proposal that would set a debt limit on state spending cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee Wednesday.

Senate Bill 56, sponsored by Sen. Joe Bowen, R-Owensboro, imposes a 6 percent cap on General Fund debt.

Bowen initially presented the measure in a constitutional amendment but changed it to a statute or state law.

The committee approved the bill on a 7-1 vote. In casting the sole “no” vote, Sen. Walter Blevins, D-Morehead, said the measure could hamper creating jobs by limiting debt.

Beshear: ‘Plenty of time’ left to consider expanded gambling

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear said Wednesday he will wait “a few more days” to unveil his long-anticipated constitutional amendment to expand gambling because of the uncertainty of legislative redistricting.

“I think we still have plenty of time to address that issue after redistricting is settled,” Beshear said to reporters after a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda to honor Black History Month.

Beshear said last December that he will present in the 2012 General Assembly a constitutional amendment to expand gambling. Wednesday is the 24th day of the 60-day session that must end by April 15.

Redistricting, or the redrawing of boundaries for legislative and congressional districts, has largely paralyzed the law-making session. Lawmakers generally don’t like to act on controversial issues until they know who their opponents will be.

Beshear accuses Williams of trying to intimidate pro-casino senators

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear on Tuesday accused Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, of trying to intimidate Republican senators who support his casino gambling proposal.

“He is using intimidations and threats against fellow senators, including some in his own party,” Beshear said.

Williams later denied Beshear’s claim. He told reporters that he opposes the expansion of gambling in Kentucky, but he is not punishing senators who support it. Nobody is losing their committee chairmanships or other choice assignments because they disagree with him, Williams said.

“The governor has been untruthful about this issue for four years, and he continues to be untruthful,” Williams said.

Specifically, Beshear tied Williams to a story Tuesday in the Lexington Herald-Leader that raised questions about $208,835 in horse industry consulting fees collected by Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, during 2010 and part of 2011.

Senator backing casinos won’t name his clients in horse industry

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — State Sen. Damon Thayer, who is expected to file a casino gambling bill in coming days that could bring big bucks to Kentucky’s horse industry, collected at least $208,835 in consulting fees from the industry during 2010 and part of 2011, according to court records.

Thayer, R-Georgetown, runs Thayer Communications and Consulting out of his house. According to his firm’s Web site, Thayer founded it in 2007 to serve “companies in the equine industry” following two decades of executive jobs in horse racing, including a seven-year stint at Turfway Park, a racetrack in Florence.

From his consulting firm, Thayer earned $132,835 in 2010 and $76,000 during the first eight months of 2011, according to an asset disclosure that he signed Sept. 12 in his divorce records. In an interview Monday, Thayer said those income figures “sound in the ballpark.”

By comparison, Thayer said in court that he makes $35,000 a year as a part-time senator.

However, Thayer declined Monday to identify his clients or explain if they would gain financially from casino gambling. His annual financial disclosure statement at the Legislative Ethics Commission does not require him to name his clients, he said.

Plan redistricts Lexington’s Kathy Stein out of state Senate

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

LINK: Close-up map of proposed state Senate districts in Fayette County

FRANKFORT — Under a plan adopted by a state Senate committee Wednesday, one of Fayette County’s longest serving public officials would be out of office by the end of the year.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday passed its version of new congressional and Senate district maps. The new senate district lines would move Senate District 13 — which Democrat Kathy Stein currently represents — to northeastern Kentucky. That new district would include Mason and Lewis counties.

Because Stein is up for re-election this year, she would have to move to northeastern Kentucky to run for that district seat. The district where Stein currently lives becomes Senate District 4 under the new plan, which is currently held by Sen. Dorsey Ridley, a Democrat from Henderson. Stein could run for Senate District 4 in two years when that seat is up for re-election.

Tea Party candidate says he will run against Thayer

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — An electrical contractor with ties to the Tea Party has filed paperwork with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance to run in the Republican primary against Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown.

Ricky Hostetler, who lost the Republican primary to Rep. Ryan Quarles in the 62nd House District race in 2010, will seek the Republican nomination for the 17th Senate district that currently includes Scott, Grant, Owen and part of Kenton County. Hostetler filed his paperwork with the registry to begin raising funds for the May 22 primary on Nov. 21.

Senator offers redrawn map of Congressional districts

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – Senate State and Local Government Chairman Damon Thayer unveiled his plan Tuesday to redraw the boundaries of Kentucky’s six Congressional districts.

Thayer’s proposed map is similar to the current map, with some changes because of population shifts.

Beshear’s office sought meetings for political allies at pension agency

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

At least twice in recent years, Gov. Steve Beshear’s office called the Kentucky Retirement Systems to suggest meetings with two of the governor’s Democratic political supporters who were working on behalf of private investment companies.

The supporters were Mark Guilfoyle, a Northern Kentucky lawyer and lobbyist who helped lead Beshear’s 2007 transition team, and Jill Daschle, wife of the then-executive director of the Democratic Governors Association and daughter-in-law of former U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.

Guilfoyle worked with Fort Washington Investment Advisors, based in Cincinnati, although he said in an interview that he was not paid. Daschle is managing director of investor relations at EnTrust Capital, based in New York.

The companies wanted to manage part of the multi-billion-dollar pension fund for state and county government retirees, said Mike Burnside, KRS executive director until he was fired last month. Both companies were given meetings, although neither won a contract with KRS, Burnside said.

“The only reason I took the meeting (with Guilfoyle) is that I was called by the governor’s office and asked to meet with Guilfoyle and his client,” Burnside said. “I received a similar request from an aide to the governor to meet with Jill Daschle, (who) had a client trying to do business with KRS as well.”