BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Less than three weeks until election day and there is actually one patch of green space left on U.S. 27 in Campbell County that a candidate hasn't shoved a campaign sign into.
Here goes a look at some recent events, slams, hits and news from a campaign trail that is shrinking, thankfully, by the hour.
Seven-year itch: Campbell County Fiscal Court candidates Dave Otto and Jim Stegman were on an InterMedia cable news program last week when Mr. Otto scored a good line.
Mr. Otto, an incumbent commissioner and Fort Thomas Democrat, said the Republican fiscal court candidates are cicadas "because they only come out every seven years. We never see them" until they are running for office.
Mr. Stegman, a Republican also from Fort Thomas, had a pretty good comeback when asked about the comment.
"You know what cicadas do," he said. "They clear out the dead wood."
Touche.
Is Alexandria burning? It's getting out of hand in the Alexandria city council race.
Not every candidate is involved, but the mud isn't just being slung, it's being heaved with heavy equipment.
Medical records, police reports, financial statements, lawsuits and more personal and in most cases totally irrelevant information is being shoveled around town and on to the desks of reporters.
It's great when people want to give their time and effort to serve their community. It's sad when this is how they go about it.
Rein it in, folks. Kosovo looks more politically stable right now.
Seeing is believing: Is that a campaign sign for Republican Edgewood Mayor John Link in the front yard of Kenton County Democratic loyalist Ed Worland?
You bet it is. Mr. Worland described Mr. Link as a close, personal friend who has done a good job in office.
"Sometimes, friendship has to run deeper than politics," Mr. Worland politely said over the phone as a reporter interrupted his dinner.
But others in the community are taking the sign as a sign that Mr. Worland and other Democrats are still boiling mad at Democrat Jeff Shipp, Mr. Link's opponent.
Mr. Shipp left a lot of Dems peeved this spring when he dropped out of the Kenton County Fiscal Court race at just about the last minute. He cited a long battle with pneumonia as the reason, but there were still some bad feelings in the party, especially after Mr. Shipp set sail -- get it? -- in the mayor's race.
By dropping out, Mr. Shipp sank -- we'll stop that -- the Democrats' chance of challenging for a fiscal court seat. Republican primary winner Barb Black walked in without opposition.
The Cheshire Cat takes on the Grumpy Old Man: Don't you just hate it when the media beats up on voters for not following politics, and then all papers cover debates by saying how the candidates looked and acted and not how they addressed the issues?
Oh, well, that's life.
Anybody catch the 4th District Congressional debate between Republican Gex "Jay" Williams and Democrat Ken Lucas?
It's great for a candidate to smile during a debate, but Mr. Williams seemed to flash his pearly whites so much he looked like a WalMart greeter. He really is a friendly guy, but this looked too prepared.
Mr. Lucas was the opposite. Though he is incredibly easy-going and friendly in person, somebody must have told him you lose points in a debate if you break into a smile.
"That's right! That's right!" For those who missed it, that's the phrase in a campaign commercial that Democrat Scotty Baesler hollers at a decibel level just a little lower than the space shuttle taking off.
The commercial isn't his. It was put on by his opponent in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race, Republican Jim Bunning of Southgate and was taken from a frantic, uncharacteristic speech Mr. Baesler gave at this year's Fancy Farm political picnic.
Mr. Bunning has taken some heat for putting on the commercial, in which Mr. Baesler looks like he's trying out for the role of "Adolf" in a World War II movie.
So Mr. Baesler looked like he was trying to play it low key, a little too low key, in his Sunday night debate with Mr. Bunning that played on statewide television.
Mr. Baesler looked so calm you half expected Mr. Bunning to reach over his podium and check the Democrat's pulse.
If you don't vote for my candidate, can I interest you in some floor wax? Let's face it, not many people look forward to a call from the Amway salesperson. Unless it is the Amway salesperson, and he has a $5,000 check waiting for you.
Dick DeVoss, the billionaire founder of Amway, called the Williams campaign last week and pledged a $5,000 donation from his Political Action Committee, or PAC.
The campaign said most of the money will be used to help pay for campaign commercials in the final days of the race, and not for a few thousands pounds of detergent.
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for The Kentucky Enquirer. His column appears Thursdays and Sundays. He can be reached at 578-5581, or 502-875-7526 in Frankfort.
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