By Bruce Schreiner
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Jody Richards exudes hospitality as he welcomes visitors to the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Clutching a gavel with one hand and gesturing to the gallery with the other, the speaker of the House assumes the role of gracious host.

"We're so pleased to have you," he intones over and over as legislators seek recognition for visitors from back home.

The amiable Democrat from Bowling Green has been a fixture in the House since 1976. Richards has presided from the speaker's dais since 1995, making him the longest-tenured House speaker in Kentucky history. He is drawing upon that experience in his quest for the Democratic nomination for governor.

"I have dealt with every issue imaginable in more than 27 years in this body," Richards, 65, said in an interview. "As speaker I have to deal with all the issues every day. I think it makes me not only conversant but knowledgeable of the issues and not only knowledgeable of the issues but how to solve the problems."

On the campaign trail, Richards is stressing broad themes - improving education and attracting high-paying jobs. His running mate is another political veteran, Jefferson County Circuit Clerk Tony Miller.

Richards co-sponsored legislation in the 1990s that made fundamental changes in education from kindergarten through college.

He co-sponsored an overhaul of higher education in 1997 that included creation of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

He also was among legislators who developed the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act, which he considers his crowning achievement. The law has "stood the test of time. I don't know of a single state that hasn't borrowed something, some component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act," Richards said.

As governor, he would build on that, Richards said. "The whole system needs to be better funded. Teacher salaries need to be increased. We need lower class sizes. We need to reduce paperwork for teachers. We need to streamline the Department of Education so that services reach the districts better," he said.

To pay for it, Richards is counting on being able to attract industry, especially high-paying technology companies, to expand the tax base. He has largely disavowed raising taxes.

Richards said he also would be willing to overhaul Kentucky's tax structure, but with a caveat. "I want to make sure, and state up front, that that does not mean immediate tax increases. It simply means that we reform the system to make it fairer and more equitable for all citizens of the state, particularly those at the lower end of the scale, the so-called working poor who are paying an inordinate amount of state taxes now," he said.

Growing up in Adair County, Richards said he learned early about the virtues of thrift. His father was a farmer and carpenter. His mother taught school and worked at a department store on Saturdays. As a teenager, Richards held down jobs at a theater and a store on Saturdays.

"I remember saving nickels and dimes as a child to try to go to college," Richards said.

He went on to Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English. He then got a master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri.

Richards settled in Bowling Green, where he runs a book sales company. He said that running his own business has given him managerial skills that make him suited for the governorship.

As for political lessons, Richards said his years in the General Assembly have taught him how to work with Republicans as well as Democrats. He also said he has the steel to make hard decisions, especially in lean times.

"I've been tough enough to be speaker longer than anyone in history," he said. "I do think I am a consensus builder, and I think that's what has helped lead Kentucky in the last decade to the most prosperous period in Kentucky history."