BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As they head into the final days of the 4th District Congressional race, Republican Gex "Jay" Williams and Democrat Ken Lucas are tearing into each other in new television ads.
Mr. Williams' ad hits Mr. Lucas on several fronts, including attempting to align the Democrat with President Bill Clinton -- who did not carry the 4th District in his two presidential elections -- criticizing his job as a Boone County commissioner and raising taxes.
Taking liberties
The Lucas campaign strikes back with a blistering TV spot that attacks Mr. Williams' integrity and honesty.
Both spots take liberties with actual events or statements the candidates made. Both set the tone for what can probably be expected during the final 10 days heading up to the Nov. 3 election.
The Lucas ad calls Mr. Williams a liar. The claim is based on a ruling the Kentucky Ethics Commission released last week on a land deal in which Mr. Williams sold 10 acres of his farm for $60,000 to a campaign supporter.
The commission said Mr. Williams did not intentionally try to hide the sale, the main allegation for which he was investigated. But the commission also said Mr. Williams was not completely forthright when questioned under oath.
The ad also states that Mr. Williams "billed taxpayers for a trip he never took."
As a state lawmaker, Mr. Williams was once driven to Frankfort for an Education Committee meeting by his wife and dropped off. He received a ride home with another lawmaker.
He then put in a mileage expense request for a round trip. State regulations allow lawmakers to claim round-trip mileage expenses in that instance, Mr. Williams said Friday.
In a legislative guide, Mr. Williams was listed as graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, which he only attended in the early 1970s. Mr. Williams said the listing was an oversight and clerical error and that he did not intentionally lie about his resume.
Mr. Williams "lied about his military record. He cheated taxpayers. And he lied under oath. You just can't trust Gex Williams."
"Every statement in our ad is based on facts and real life events," said Walton attorney Mark Guilfoyle. "The central issue in this race from very beginning has been Gex Williams' integrity and trustworthiness. "We make no apologies for saying in an ad what the Ethics Commission said in an order. Gex Williams lied under oath. That's fact, that's reality," he said.
"Let them talk about me, I want to talk about the issues in the district," Mr. Williams said Friday.
"Issues like cutting taxes, saving Social Security, improving national defense and reducing the size of government," he said. But Mr. Williams' most recent ad hitting the TV this weekend doesn't talk much about issues.
The ad shows newspaper headlines detailing financial problems Boone County experienced in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Mr. Lucas served as a commissioner on the county fiscal court.
"When Ken Lucas served as county commissioner, news reports said public funds were so mismanaged the state had to take over," the ad states.
"Now Ken Lucas is running a negative campaign hiding from his own liberal record, like raising taxes and fees over 20 times." The Williams ad also said Mr. Lucas is considering a "Clinton-style health care system that will hurt families and cost billions in new taxes."
That assertion is taken from a quote attributed to Mr. Lucas in the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"Ken Lucas is opposed to a single-payer system of health care, which is what they're trying to talk about," Mr. Guilfoyle said.
"Higher taxes, reckless management, a negative campaign," the ad said. "Ken Lucas, a Clinton liberal right here in Kentucky."
"Nobody in their right mind would believe that Ken Lucas is a liberal," Mr. Guilfoyle said. "Politicians never get anywhere calling their opponents names. You just can't move ahead in a political race by calling your opponent a name. That just won't stick."
