BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CLARYVILLE -- It was late Wednesday morning and the food was about to be served during the monthly senior citizens luncheon at the Knights of Columbus hall in this rural Campbell County burg.
The 70 or so seniors came for the buffet. The handful of politicians for the smorgasbord of voters.
Few groups are courted as heavily as our elders when it comes to elections. And with the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, candidates have been flocking to events like the senior luncheon to feast on the chance of picking up a few more votes.
"I've been out here seven or eight times," said Fort Thomas Democrat Steve Sandfoss, one of three candidates in a Campbell County Commission Democratic primary.
"Let's face it, these folks vote. They care about what is going on and they like to meet and talk to the candidates. And coming out here is kind of a family tradition," said Mr. Sandfoss, whose father Bernie was county sheriff in the 1970s and '80s and often campaigned in Claryville.
Not far from where Mr. Sandfoss was handing out campaign stickers one of his opponents, former commissioner Chuck Peters of Dayton, leaned over to talk to a group of women, the knee of his blue pin stripped suit touching the K of C hall floor.
Asked what people are concerned about, Mr. Peters rattles off a list that includes roads, public safety and taxes.
"I'm leaving here and heading to a bridge party down at Buckskin Bevs," a Cold Spring restaurant, Mr. Peters said.
"You want to listen to what these people say because they vote and they care about what happens," he said.
The menu of candidates was full and varied.
Campbell County Judge-executive Ken Paul was passing out campaign materials and candy. Statehouse candidate Jim Daley shook hands at the buffet line. Property Value Administrator Bill Kaiser, jailer candidate Greg Buckler and county commission hopeful Howard Bittner resembled waiters as they moved from table to table, but instead of bringing food they delivered handshakes, big smiles and campaign literature.
Jailer candidate Paul Luersen and Steve Roth, running against Mr. Paul in the judge-executive Democratic primary, had surrogates working the crowd.
But the candidate with the largest presence had to be Republican Ken Warden of Cold Spring, who is running in a three-way statehouse primary in Campbell County.
Mr. Warden had huge campaign signs -- one on a trailer, the other in the back of a pickup -- in the hall's parking lot.
"Those are my attention-getters," Mr. Warden said of the signs. He also handed out a red piece of campaign material that touches on his platform and shows a picture of him and his family.
At a corner table Otto and Bertha Fries of southern Campbell County finished the last few bites of their ham and turkey lunch and politely listened as Mr. Buckler made his pitch.
"Nice enough fella," Mr. Fries said as the candidate made his way to the next table.
"But he's wasting his time with us, I think."
"We're not registered, and we don't vote," laughed Mrs. Fries, amused at the irony that candidates court her because of her age. "They think just cause we're here, we're going to vote. Well, they're wrong."
Ceil Rauch was the rule sitting across the table from the exception. "I always vote, and I think most of the people are going to vote," said Mrs. Rauch, a resident of California, Ky.
She waved off a question about what issues are important to her, however.
"It doesn't matter what I think," she said. "They all do what they want once they get into office anyway, right?"
