All Entries in the "Jim Gray" Category
Voters’ Guide: Where candidates stand on the issues
Election Day is Tuesday. It’s time to pay attention and pick a candidate.
To help, we’ve quizzed the candidates on the most important issues of the day. You’ll find their answers of 45 words or less by clicking on the links below.
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The link below also contains a listing of candidates for every state office on the ballot in Kentucky. And if you live in Fayette, Bourbon, Clark, Madison, Jessamine, Woodford, Scott or Franklin County, you’ll find a complete listing of candidates seeking local offices.
On the ballot: a listing of candidates in state, federal and local races
Campaign Watchdog: Gray’s claim about water rate increase ‘mostly false’
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The claim: “Newberry … supported building the water plant that’s making you pay 60 percent more for your water bill. ”
— Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray in a radio ad about Mayor Jim Newberry
The ruling: Mostly false
The facts: Kentucky American Water’s new treatment plant is not responsible for a 60 percent increase in water rates.
When the company was granted an 18 percent rate increase last year, only about a fourth of that amount — 87 cents of the $3.90 average monthly increase for residential customers — went to pay for its new treatment plant, according to testimony filed with the Public Service Commission.
The water company also implemented a 37 percent rate increase late last month. About 90 percent of that amount would go toward the plant, the company says. The Public Service Commission is expected to rule soon that the company’s rate is too high and that it must give part of that money back.
As we’ve previously stated, it’s true that Newberry supported Kentucky American Water’s plan to build a new water treatment plant, which was completed last month. Gray wanted to hire a consultant to study a competing proposal from the Louisville Water Co.
Gray out-raises Newberry during October in Lexington mayor’s race
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
Vice Mayor Jim Gray out-raised Mayor Jim Newberry by $138,405 in the latest campaign finance reporting period, but $100,000 of Gray’s total came in a loan he made to his own campaign.
Gray raised $200,959 for his mayoral bid from Oct. 2 to Oct. 18. He received $98,600 from individual contributors and $2,300 from political action committees.
Mayor Jim Newberry raised $62,554 in the same period, including $1,000 from PACs and the rest from individuals.
The campaign finance reports, filed Monday with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, are the last before the Nov. 2 election.
In all, Gray has raised about $1.2 million in the campaign. About a third of that, or $380,000, is in loans from the candidate.
Newberry has raised $1,050,000. He has loaned his campaign no money. His wife Cheryl Ann, a homemaker, has contributed $2,000.
The reports show that, as of Oct. 18, Gray had $77,000 on hand. Newberry had $83,000.
Campaign Watchdog: Gray’s claims about South Limestone project ‘false’
READ PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN WATCHDOG STORIES
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The statement: “South Limestone. When the city needed to repave this road, the mayor turned to one of his political contributors, and we ended up paying $16 million. That’s $5 million more than the original estimate to the high bidder. That’s $7,000 a foot.”
— Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray, in a television ad criticizing Mayor Jim Newberry
The ruling: False
The facts: This ad shows Gray walking along the new South Limestone Street past bright yellow signs that count $7,000 each foot. At one point, the words “No bid contracts” appear on the screen.
The fundamental premise of the ad — the city spent $7,000 a foot to “repave this road” — is false. What happened on South Lime went far beyond paving. Sanitary and storm sewers were replaced. Electric, telephone and cable lines were buried. The street and sidewalks were completely removed and rebuilt, with rain gardens.
Also, Newberry didn’t turn to contributors, as the ad alleges, to do the job. It was competitively bid.
Kentucky Poll: Lexington mayor’s race too close to call
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
Vice Mayor Jim Gray appears to have a slim advantage over incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry in the race for Lexington’s top job, a new Kentucky Poll shows.
It is the first time an independent poll has shown the challenger out front in the non-partisan contest, although Gray’s four-point lead is within the poll’s margin of error.
Among likely voters, Gray leads Newberry 44 percent to 40 percent, with 16 percent undecided. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Gray trailed Newberry in the May primary, getting 37.5 percent of the vote to Newberry’s 43.7 percent. Former Mayor Teresa Isaac, who received 16.6 percent in the primary and didn’t move forward to the general election, endorsed Gray two days before the poll began.
The live telephone survey of 500 likely Fayette County voters was conducted from Oct. 15 through Oct. 19 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington D.C. It was commissioned by the Lexington Herald-Leader and WKYT-TV.
Campaign Watchdog: Jim Newberry’s ad attacking Jim Gray ‘mostly false’
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The statement: “(Jim) Gray’s attacking to hide the millions he made on government no-bid contracts and shady insider stock deals. Gray’s company even got caught employing illegal immigrants.”
— Mayor Jim Newberry, in a television ad criticizing Vice Mayor Jim Gray, his opponent in the Nov. 2 election
The ruling: Mostly false
The facts: This ad begins by talking about Gray’s negative ads. It shows people saying negative ads don’t work, then turns negative itself. But the charges don’t add up.
When Newberry’s campaign was asked to back up its claim that Gray made millions on “no-bid contracts,” it produced a 1998 Urban County Council resolution accepting the proposal of the James N. Gray Co. to oversee construction of a new Fayette County Detention Center for $1.25 million. There were no other bidders because the city was under pressure to quickly replace the overcrowded former jail.
The Newberry campaign also pointed to Fedspending.org, a Web site that tracks government contracts. That site showed only one “not competed” Gray contract, for $3,348.
Campaign Watchdog: Jim Newberry’s claim about council member ‘false’
MORE: Read previous Campaign Watchdog stories
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The statement: “Last week (Jim) Gray’s former campaign manager and close friend Diane Lawless admitted to withholding documents from the fraud investigation in an attempt to embarrass Mayor Newberry and his administration.”
— Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry in a Tuesday e-mail to supporters.
The ruling: False
The facts: A six-month controversy sparked by allegations of fraud made by a city employee has taken many twists and turns, including the revelation by State Auditor Crit Luallen last week that an unnamed member of the Urban County Council had copies of the fraud allegations well before an investigative committee of the council spent considerable time and effort trying to acquire them.
Luallen’s report found that no fraud had occurred, but it sparked a pointed discussion at last week’s council work session in which Lawless admitted she was the council member who had copies of the fraud allegations. Lawless, however, did not admit to knowingly withholding the documents from the council committee and said nothing about a plot to embarrass Newberry.
Instead, Lawless said she did not realize she had copies of the documents and did not know they were among the documents she showed to Luallen.
Lawless did manage Vice Mayor Jim Gray’s 2006 campaign and supports his bid to unseat Newberry in November.
Ironically, the false statement in the Newberry e-mail is followed by a sentence touting a Herald-Leader Campaign Watchdog article that pointed out a false statement in a television ad by Gray.
Teresa Isaac endorses Jim Gray for mayor of Lexington
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
Former Mayor Teresa Isaac endorsed Vice Mayor Jim Gray for the city’s top job Tuesday, promising to walk neighborhoods and attend neighborhood meetings with her former foe.
“I believe he is a true leader,” Isaac said.
Isaac said she has known Gray, a businessman, for more than 20 years, and has found him to be accessible, and someone who values diversity and inspires his employees.
About 80 Gray supporters attended the endorsement announcement, which was held on a stage that had been set up in a parking lot at East Third and Race streets.
Isaac has traditionally done well in that area north of downtown, which is heavily African American.
Isaac was elected in 2002, beating Scott Crosbie in the general election after Gray was eliminated in the primary. Crosbie, who now supports Gray, introduced Isaac Tuesday, repeatedly calling her “Isaacs.”
Lexington mayoral race goes negative
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
As the Nov. 2 election draws closer, the candidates for mayor of Lexington have switched from feel-good television ads that tout their accomplishments to cut-throat attacks on each other.
A series of 15-second ads from the campaign of Vice Mayor Jim Gray, for example, tie Mayor Jim Newberry to spending scandals at the Blue Grass Airport and the Lexington Public Library, and attempt to blame him for the 37 percent rate increase that Kentucky American Water wants to pay for a new water treatment plant on the Kentucky River north of Frankfort.
Newberry supported the $164 million project, saying Lexington needed more water, but has opposed the increase as excessive.
Another ad blames “Newberry’s political contributors” for the more than $50,000 the city spent looking into fraud allegations before an investigation by State Auditor Crit Luallen found that no fraud had taken place.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that Jim Newberry supports water rate increase ‘false’
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The statement: “Guess who supports the water rate increase? Jim Newberry.”
— Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray in a television ad criticizing Mayor Jim Newberry
The ruling: False.
The facts: Jim Newberry supported a $164 million Kentucky American Water treatment plant and pipeline that began operating late last month, but he has consistently said he opposes the 37 percent rate increase the company has asked the state Public Service Commission to approve to pay for the project.
Newberry has said the project was needed to augment the city’s water supply, but Kentucky American is trying to squeeze too much profit out of its investment.
The Gray campaign had it right in an earlier ad that mentioned “Jim Newberry’s support for American Water’s construction costs.” But Newberry has opposed how the utility recoups those costs.
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