BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT -- Here is how one Campbell County county official reacted to the news that Democratic statehouse candidate Jim Daley had accepted the appointment as interim county jailer in April:
"Are you nuts?"
"I guess he didn't think it was such a good idea," Mr. Daley said as he cut into a chicken Caesar salad at Newport's Detroit Joe's restaurant, a kind of power hangout for the Campbell County political crowd.
It's not fair to question Mr. Daley's sanity, just his political savvy.
What that unnamed official was trying to say in his less than eloquent way was that taking the gig as lame duck jailer doesn't have a lot of upside for a political candidate running for another office.
The potential for escapes, fights, lawsuits, unfavorable media coverage and other unpleasant possibilities hang over a jail like a dark cloud. A candidate making his first run for political office might do best to run the other way when shown the path to taking over as jailer.
"But the county needed somebody," said Mr. Daley, a Cold Spring Democrat running against Fort Thomas Republican Joe Fischer in the 68th District statehouse in Campbell County.
When Campbell County Judge-executive Ken Paul, a fellow Democrat, asked whether Mr. Daley would take the appointment, the candidate complied.
"It seemed like the right thing to do. Serving in office is really about public service."
He could be out campaigning, but instead he is overseeing a couple hundred of the county's criminals. And he's trying to make the best of it.
A former Kentucky State Trooper, an attorney and the one-time head of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Task Force -- an undercover drug unit -- Mr. Daley has plenty of experience with the criminal justice system.
And he said he is not just biding his time at the jail.
Mr. Daley said he's started an in-house work detail for prisoners, raised salaries, upgraded and added computers and other equipment, added some new management positions and tried to be more open to the media and the public.
He's also drawn some heat from the Republicans -- including GOP jailer candidate Bill Culbertson and some party leaders -- for hiring Greg Buckler, the Democrat running for the job.
"People tried to make that a negative, and that's the way it is, I guess," Mr. Daley said. "But I think it's positive.
"Greg is a qualified individual. He's been a law enforcement officer for 10 years, has lots of training and he'll do a good job. And this is a good chance for him to have some on-the-job training, because I support him, and I believe he is going to win."
Mr. Daley said he simply doesn't buy the conventional wisdom held by some that taking over the jail can be a political liability this election year.
"I'm stepping up and doing some service to my community," he said. "You would think the public would want somebody who does that."
Hired gun coming to town. Paid political consultants are becoming more and more common in Northern Kentucky politics. They've trickled down from federal races into statehouse and even county elections. Fort Thomas Mayor Steve Pendery, the Republican candidate for Campbell County judge-executive, made news a few weeks back when he hired Hayes Robertson of Alexandria to run his campaign and act as consultant to the other candidates.
And now the Kenton County Republican Party is considering bringing on a consultant to offer advice and strategy in this fall's courthouse elections.
There is a dispute among some party leaders and Republican executive committee members about whether a consultant is needed. Rumors were flying last Thursday about an emergency party meeting to hash things out.
Still, look for an announcement, or at least a decision, during the next week or two.
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for the Enquirer. He can be reached at 578-5581, or (502) 875-7526 in Frankfort.
CROWLEY ARCHIVE