Report card from Frankfort
Sunday, August 30, 1998BY RAY COOKLIS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jim Callahan
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The best lawmaker representing Northern Kentucky in Frankfort? It's a virtual tie between Rep. Jim Callahan, D-Wilder, and Rep. Dick Murgatroyd, R-Villa Hills. The worst? Again, a near deadlock between Rep. Charlie Walton, R-Florence, and Rep. Jon David Reinhardt, R-Alexandria.
At least, that's the view of the people we surveyed -- people who ought to know: the lawmakers' Kentucky General Assembly colleagues from the rest of the state, plus lobbyists and the Capitol press corps.
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HIGHLIGHTS
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Press pet: Tom Kerr
Tops with colleagues: Dick Murgatroyd
Lobbyists' favorite: Jim Callahan
Smartest: Tom Kerr.
Most effective: Jim Callahan
Tops with colleagues: Dick Murgatroyd
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Using a 1 to 10 scale, the Enquirer Editorial Page asked them to rate the 14 state legislators -- four Senate and 10 House members -- who represent residents in our Northern Kentucky coverage area. We then compiled the scores they sent back.
Rep. Callahan, the House majority chairman who topped the survey with a combined 7.80 score, won praise across the board as Northern Kentucky's "most influential and effective legislator." His capacity for hard, well-organized work was mentioned often.
Dick Murgatroyd
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But Rep. Murgatroyd, just a hair behind at 7.79, won top scores from his fellow lawmakers for his integrity and intelligence. "Best of the bunch" wrote one. Many respondents expressed regret at Rep. Murgatroyd's looming departure from the General Assembly, as he's running for Kenton County Judge-executive. He also was mentioned as a potential governor. Heady stuff.
Third at 7.56 was Rep. Tom Kerr, D-Taylor Mill praised as a bright, personable lawmaker who possesses a remarkable ability to work with both parties. "A model legislator," wrote one House colleague. Rep. Royce Adams, D-Dry Ridge, Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, and Rep. Katie Kratz Stine, R-Ft. Thomas, rounded out the group of legislators scoring an overall 7 or above.
Today's report card is a follow-up to our June survey of Ohio General Assembly members from the Cincinnati area. Senate President Richard H. Finan won that one in a walk, with an 8.12 overall score, while Sen. Janet Howard, R-Forest Park, was last with a 4.75. Rep. Rose Vesper, R-New Richmond, Rep. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, and Rep. Robert Schuler, R-Sycamore Township, made notably strong showings.
Both surveys were designed to give area voters an idea of who's doing the job at the state Capitol -- and who's not. State legislators often work in obscurity, compared to members of the U.S. Congress. Many residents don't even know which legislative district they reside in, or who their representative is.
But who legislators are and what they do is important -- on both sides of the river. Recently, Northern Kentucky has attracted several businesses from Ohio. Economically, the area is on a roll. State legislators from Northern Kentucky have had a lot to do with that.
Don't think for a moment that Kentucky's top legislative priorities
don't affect Cincinnati politics. They do.
As with the Ohio survey, we sent out hundreds of questionnaires, asking respondents to grade each legislator in six categories on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 highest and inviting them to add written comments. Surveys were returned anonymously, coded by group (press, legislator, lobbyist), compiled and averaged.
The results were very revealing.
The issue that most often seemed to define a survey-taker's feelings -- positive or negative -- toward a certain legislator was abortion.
Partisan feelings appear to run stronger among Kentucky legislators than among their Ohio counterparts. Forms filled out by lawmakers often gave extremely high ratings to all members of one party, and extremely low ratings to members of the opposing party. That pattern wasn't apparent among the lobbyists or journalists.
But guess what? The extremes canceled each other out. Nice try, folks.
The Kentucky lawmakers' scores were more bunched in the middle than the Ohioans' were. There was a spread of 3.37 points from top to bottom in the Ohio survey, while all the Kentucky legislators ended up within a 2.63-point range.
That may come from the canceling-out of extreme scores. But it also may reflect the view that Northern Kentucky has a rather consistent and effective delegation in Frankfort.
As a group, they've made the rest of Kentucky sit up and take notice of their booming region.
Observations on certain lawmakers:
Sen. Gex (Jay) Williams, Republican candidate for U.S. House, drew the survey's most impassioned comments, both from friends and foes. Some see him as a bright, superb parliamentary tactician, but others are concerned by what they view as an extreme conservative agenda. Wagged one lobbyist: "I know Jim Bunning. Jim Bunning is a friend of mine. Gex Williams is no Jim Bunning."
Rep. Stine, running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Williams, gets very high marks for potential as legislator -- with an asterisk: She should broaden her horizons. She "needs to be heard on other issues besides abortion," noted one House colleague. "She also needs to lighten up."
Rep. Paul Marcotte, R-Union, doesn't need to lighten up. He was the survey's Mr. Congeniality, warmly praised for being friendly, conscientious and fair-minded -- an "old-style Republican" who is "in politics for the right reasons."
Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, is also well liked by his peers, esteemed as a careful thinker with very good legislative skills -- a lawmaker to watch.
Rep. Royce Adams, D-Dry Ridge, topped the "quietly effective" list as a lawmaker who's especially good on farm issues and "a good liaison between urban and rural legislators." According to state figures, he's been the delegation's most productive member in bills passed during the past two sessions, followed closely by Reps. Callahan and Murgatroyd.
Our survey was modeled on ones done in several other states. It is not a scientific poll. It's a sample of informed opinions from those "in the know" in Frankfort. It can be one of many tools that voters use to evaluate their legislators.
Respondents were asked not to rate legislators they didn't have contact with, and they took that request seriously, leaving those portions blank. That should enhance the survey's fairness.
Ray Cooklis is an Enquirer editorial writer. He can be reached at 768-8525, e-mail rcooklis@enquirer.com
Ky. House, Senate members
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RATING
KY. LEGISLATORS
Here's how the experts rated them. Now it's your turn. Rate your state senator and representative. Just fill out our email form.
1. Rep. Jim Callahan
(D-Wilder, Dis. 67):
7.80
2. Rep. Dick Murgatroyd
(R-Villa Hills,
Dis. 63;
candidate for Kenton Judge-Executive):
7.79
3. Rep. Tom Kerr
(D-Taylor Mill,
Dis. 64):
7.56
4. Rep. Royce Adams
(D-Dry Ridge, Dis. 61):
7.29
5. Rep. Arnold Simpson
(D-Covington,
Dis. 65):
7.16
6. Rep. Katie Kratz Stine
(R-Ft. Thomas,
Dis. 68;
candidate for Senate, Dis. 24):
7.07
7. Rep. Paul Marcotte
(R-Union, Dis. 60):
6.65
8. Rep. Tom McKee
(D-Cynthiana, Dis. 78):
6.42
9. Sen. Gex (Jay) Williams
(R-Verona, Dis. 24;
candidate for U.S. House):
6.36
10. Sen. Ernie Harris
(R-Crestwood, Dis. 26):
6.14
11. Sen. Jack Westwood
(R-Erlanger, Dis. 23):
6.04
12. Sen. Dick Roeding
(R-Lakeside Park,
Dis. 11):
5.70
13. Rep.
Charlie Walton
(R-Florence, Dis. 66):
5.14
14. Rep. Jon David Reinhardt
(R-Alexandria, Dis. 69):
5.13
Biographies of Ky. House, Senate members
KY. ISSUES
Education:
Nearly 10 years ago, school superintendents sued for more equitable school funding. In response, the General Assembly passed a sweeping reform act that drew national attention. Changes included rewards and sanctions for schools that didn't meet tough new standards, and a shifting of authority from boards and superintendents to principals and school councils. Also, the reform's prohibitions on nepotism and conflicts of interest diluted the political power of school boards, which had wielded excessive influence in rural areas.
This year, the legislature ordered an overhaul of the school accountability testing, which some complained was not providing useful information about school improvement.
Health:
The General Assembly revamped insurance rules this spring after the failure of 1994 reforms meant to improve coverage for sick people in the state. It remains to be seen how many insurance companies will return to Kentucky after the legislature's action.
Constitution:
In November, voters will decide whether the state constitution should be amended so Kentucky's part-time legislature meets once a year rather than once every two years. Special sessions are frequently called in off years, leading some to suggest that more frequent sessions are needed. Others say a more active General Assembly would discourage regular folks with other careers from running for office.
Voters also will consider allowing the legislature to exempt certain personal property, such as cars, from property taxes. |
