COVINGTON — Michael Plummer walked into the Behle Street Cafe early Wednesday afternoon dressed like George Washington, a Halloween costume designed to make a political statement.

        Mr. Plummer, 37, a lawyer and member of Fort Mitchell City Council, informally announced Wednesday that he will challenge Republican county commissioner Adam Koenig in May's GOP Kenton County Fiscal Court GOP primary.

        Attracting glances and giggles from the lunch crowd, Mr. Plummer — wearing a white wig, period military jacket and knickers — strolled onto the popular restaurant's outdoor patio referring to the fiscal court members as “scalawags”, a disrespectful term used by southern Democrats to describe Republicans during Reconstruction, and “mugwumps”, 19th century slang for Republicans unfaithful to the party.

Michael Plummer, as George Washington, said he's running for Kenton County commissioner. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        “Who are all these scalawags and mugwumps wrapping themselves in the cloak of Republican ideals?” Mr. Plummer said in a reference to the taxes on property, utilities and payrolls that Mr. Koenig supported with his votes.

        “They aren't interested in doing what's best for the people of this county, they are only interested in one thing, and that's OPM — other people's money,” he said.

        Mr. Koenig, a former Villa Hills councilman in his first term, said he expected to have a primary challenge and is gearing up for the May election.

        “I had a primary last time and a general (election) last time,” Mr. Koenig said. “I'm used to this and I'm not surprised that somebody came after me.”

        Mr. Koenig said he voted to increase taxes “because the county needed the money,” especially to build a new county jail.

        “How would (Mr. Plummer) serve the needs of public protection?” Mr. Koenig asked. “I am proud of my record and look forward to talking about it, as well as about the future of the county in the next four years.”

        But Mr. Plummer, who runs an independent general law practice, said the fiscal court has spent more than three years trying to decide on a site for a new jail, considering more than 50 sites and moving the location several times after neighbors in the affected areas complained. And a site should have been settled on before taxes were raised to fund the project, he added.

        “The fiscal court doesn't have the political courage to pick a site and stay with it, but they have the courage to raise our taxes,” Mr. Plummer said.

        The site now being looked at — along Pike Street near Washington in Covington — appears to be viable, Mr. Plummer said.

        “It would do a lot to help revitalize that part of Covington,” he said. “But I'm not even sure the fiscal court, including Mr. Koenig, have made a compelling case that we even need a new jail.”

        As far as running his campaign, Mr. Plummer said he intends to take no campaign contributions and will spend up to $20,000 of his own money on the race. If elected, he said he would donate the commissioner's $34,000 annual salary to charity.

        So far no Democrats have decided to run for Mr. Koenig's seat, though leaders in the Kenton County Democratic Party have said they will have a candidate for next November's general election.

        Kenton County Republican Party Chairman Greg Shumate said primaries can be good for the party “as long as the race is run aboveboard and proper.”

        Of Mr. Plummer, Mr. Shumate said, “The last time I looked Michael was a Democrat.” That comment was a reference to 1995, when Mr. Plummer switched parties and pondered running for the state legislature as a Republican. It likely indicates that the incumbents will receive at least some support from party leaders in any contested primaries.

        A native of Augusta, Mr. Plummer and his wife, Kim, are the parents of two daughters, ages 6 and 2.
       

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