By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FRANKFORT - During his first day as governor-elect, Republican Ernie Fletcher pledged Wednesday to make good on his campaign promise to make Northern Kentucky a major focus of his administration.

That could bode well for all of Greater Cincinnati. Major capital projects Fletcher wants to fund include:

• State money to help pay for the replacement of the Interstate 75 Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River, a project congressional and business leaders from Kentucky and Ohio are pushing.

• Construction of an on-campus arena at Northern Kentucky University, which serves a student population made up heavily of Greater Cincinnati residents.

• Infrastructure to prepare Riverfront West - a prime, 15-acre tract of riverfront land in Covington directly across from Paul Brown Stadium - for development of what could be an $800 million project, including residential, retail, office and public space.

In an interview Wednesday, Fletcher said he wants to make as big an impact on Northern Kentucky as did the last Republican governor of Kentucky, Louie Nunn. Nunn, who served 1967 to 1971, pushed through the creation of NKU while in office.

"It took a Republican governor to bring Northern Kentucky University up there, and it's going to take a Republican governor to make sure there is some equity in funding as well," Fletcher said.

But hampering efforts to spend money in Northern Kentucky - or elsewhere - is a $266 million budget deficit that could grow to as much as $700 million by the time the state's fiscal year ends in June.

"It is too early to tell" what the money situation will be, said Fletcher, who takes office Dec. 9 and must deliver a budget to the General Assembly by late January.

"But I made a commitment to get those (Northern Kentucky projects) done as soon as possible, and we're going to do everything we can to do that," he said.

Gov. Paul Patton said Wednesday that the state budget has already been deeply cut and the deficit cannot be erased without a tax increase or even more severe budget cuts.

Also on Wednesday, House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, said he is preparing a bill that would legalize casino gambling at racetracks and casinos.

Fletcher has said he would not support standalone tax increases, but would back "tax modernization" that is revenue-neutral, meaning he could support a tax increase as long as the overall tax burden goes down. He has been most open to a possible increase in the state's cigarette tax, now at 3 cents a pack.

Fletcher has said he would not oppose efforts to expand gambling.

Northern Kentucky voters gave Fletcher a huge boost in Tuesday's election, in which he defeated Democrat Ben Chandler with 55 percent of the vote. Fletcher won Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties by about 25,000 votes and beat Chandler in the region by 2-to-1.

"This election means so much to Northern Kentucky," said Senate President Pro Tem Dick Roeding, R-Lakeside Park. "Ernie recognizes us as the economic engine behind the state, and that every once in a while an engine has to be primed to keep running. He's going to do all he can for us to keep the economic engine running."

Fletcher also committed Wednesday to appointing Northern Kentucky residents to key positions in his administration.

Speculation was rampant in Frankfort on Wednesday that two Northern Kentucky judge-executives - Dick Murgatroyd of Kenton County and Gary Moore of Boone County - may be offered posts in Fletcher's Cabinet.

Moore, Murgatroyd and Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery - who has previously said he is not interested in going to Frankfort - chaired Fletcher's Northern Kentucky campaign.

"Northern Kentucky is an opportunity that has largely been untapped, and I do want to bring some talent down here from Northern Kentucky," Fletcher said. "We've had pretty good contact with the (Republican) party chairs, the (county) judge-executives ... and we'll continue to do that."

Murgatroyd, who is likely to be a member of Fletcher's transition team, was not available for comment

Moore said it is unlikely he would leave Boone County for Frankfort.

"I love being judge-executive of Boone County," Moore said Wednesday.

"And I'm going to love it even more with a Republican governor in Frankfort."

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com