By Ray Paulick
Republican State Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr is Public Enemy No. 1 for many people in Fayette County who care about the horse industry. Her joined-at-the-hip stance with Senate president David Williams against permitting Kentucky racetracks to compete with neighboring states by installing slot machines, along with her support of increasing taxes on pari-mutuel wagering has angered and frustrated many voters in Kentucky’s 12th District, which includes numerous horse farms, as well as the Keeneland Association.

I also live in Forgy Kerr’s district and have been bombarded with flyers from her campaign emphasizing issues that may be near and dear to the “religious right” but which, at a time when the state faces a serious budget crisis and its signature horse industry is in desperate condition, indicate how out of touch she is. Forgy Kerr is emphasizing her “100% pro-life” position against abortion (not a states rights issue) and homophobic attitude against gay marriage (an issue already decided in Kentucky) while the state’s unemployment rate soars and the horse industry is suffering. Whether or not you agree with Forgy Kerr’s “family values,” no rational person could see them as the most important issues facing the Commonwealth of Kentucky at this time.

Forgy Kerr faces a primary challenge in two weeks from Dr. Andy Roberts, an equine veterinarian and horseman whose 75-acre farm in south Fayette County is in the 12th District. Roberts has called Kentucky home since the mid-1990s, and he has become increasingly frustrated with the representation from his state senator in Frankfort—so frustrated he decided to make his first run for public office against the incumbent Forgy Kerr. “It was either that, to get involved, or move to Pennsylvania,” Roberts said in a reference to the migration of many horses and horse owners from Kentucky to the Keystone State, where revenue from slot machines has helped make for a healthier horse industry.

The Paulick Report spoke with Roberts about his decision to run for the state Senate. For more information about Roberts or to learn how you can help unseat Alice Forgy Kerr, visit his website by clicking here.

Why did you decide to take on Alice Forgy Kerr in the Republican primary for the Kentucky Senate’s 12th District?
It started a long time ago. I was working as an unpaid veterinary consultant to the Kentucky Racing Commission when Ernie Fletcher was governor and Alice was on a committee that we were bringing a new medication regulation bill before. I had worked with a colleague and numerous chemists from across the country on this; it did away with the old rule that said you could give a gallon of Banamine to a horse. The new rules said a vet can still treat a racehorse, but the horses aren’t getting loaded in the gate with things that are really bad for them. I took a very principled stance, though it made a lot of my colleagues mad at me because it had a financial impact on them.
 
We came before the committee, where Alice was a member. Her nephew, John Forgy, was the racing commission attorney, so he had pre-filed all of this legal paperwork in Frankfort. Alice was in the loop, and this was at a time when she had another election coming up.

In that first hearing, I got torn a new one by a legislator from Elizabethtown over these rules. If you’ll pardon the phrase, he was a shill for the vets who didn’t want the rules changed. When the votes came up, Alice abstained from voting, and she was involved in this from the get-go. There was no reason she shouldn’t have taken a stance. I had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of that room. There was no reason that it was defeated.
 
I asked how it was possible Alice didn’t vote for the new regulations in the bill when she told us an hour before she was with us. I was told she had a tough election coming up and she didn’t want to take a controversial stance. From my view, you stand up for what’s right. If people vote you out of office for doing the right thing, so be it. That may be naïve, but that’s what I believe. (Editor’s note: The bill eventually passed.)
 
Is that your only interaction with Forgy Kerr?
She was my state senator. She didn’t return any of my phone calls or emails on this or any other issues. At one point I went to her office to try and meet and I was told I would get to see her. I had no advance appointment, but I was told, “No problem, please have a seat.” An hour and a half later, after some lobbyists had come and gone, her secretary said, “Gee, she should have had time to see you by now,” and went back to her office to check. She came back and said Alice had snuck out the back door. That’s her MO.
 
I’m equal opportunity. I don’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat or independent. Doesn’t matter. You’ve got to care for the constituents. If you can’t do that, you’ve got a problem. That is fundamentally why I am in this race. If you refuse to represent me, it’s gotten to the point I will represent myself.
 
How long have you lived in Central Kentucky?
I came to Kentucky 16 years ago from the Ohio State University veterinary school. I’ve been licensed as a Standardbred driver and trainer. I own racing Standardbreds and racing Thoroughbreds, and have Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeding stock. I am “in the business.” I have worked on racehorses pretty much exclusively for the past 15 years. When I first got out of school, I had a mixed animal job in Nicholasville, went into private practice for a brief time for about a year, worked for the Kentucky Racing Commission as commission vet in 1996-97 because I had a non-compete with a previous employer. I’ve been working for myself, by myself, since 1997.

How do you think Kentucky’s horse industry is viewed by the state legislature?
The horse business has been vilified in Frankfort—inappropriately–especially by the Republicans. When I talk with Republicans I try and shame them. If you are trying to be pro-business, how can you run jobs out of the state, how can you run capital investment out of state, how can you take a position, if you are (Senate president) David Williams, that is not good for the economy of the state, not good for the people of the state? Lexington is part of the so-called “golden triangle,” because this is where a lot of the gold comes from. If we want to keep building roads in Letcher County, where they have 23% unemployment, we need to have a healthy economy in Fayette County in order to keep funding the projects at the state level for the less wealthy.

Fayette County (Lexington) has been underrepresented. I’m not sure why, but on the Senate side, being a constituent, I don’t see anyone in Frankfort saying, “Wait a minute you guys, you’re killing us.” That’s what’s important. Somebody has to stand up.
 
As a Republican, I will have a very different approach with how to deal with David Williams. You need to stand up at those caucus meetings and say, “What part of putting 100,000 people out of jobs is a Republican value?” There is no acceptable answer. “What part of chasing capital out of state is a good Republican value?” This has become an upside down issue.
 
I feel very confident I can stand on my own two feet. Because I’m not a Republican insider, I can represent the people of the 12th District. They will be well served with a healthy horse industry, a healthy Keeneland, and healthy tourism in the area.
 
What do you see as the key issues?
Issue number one is the economy. Jobs.

Issue number two is tax reform, and I mean a complete tax overhaul of the way we tax businesses in Kentucky, so we can bring in more jobs.

Issue number three is education. Yes, I’m a Republican who believes in education. It is very important. We need some kind of coherent education plan that brings a more intelligent Kentucky, a more educated Kentuckian. With a better education system, we can bring in those better jobs. Why couldn’t we attract a company like Google, which is based in a high-tax state like California? This is a great place to live, but do we have enough “raw material” for that kind of company: engineers, high school and college graduates who can think critically, go forward and do great things? Proper funding of the University of Kentucky is critically important to the 12th District.

This being your first run for public office of any kind, what have you learned?
I’ve learned why nobody wants to go into politics. People have asked me if I was kicked by a horse in the head or if something happened to my brain.

It’s very humbling because you realize in meeting with voters how much you don’t know. You have to form an opinion almost immediately on a subject you don’t know much about. Asking people for money is tough for me. How do we cure the political system? Make the maximum donation $50, because at that level no one will be ashamed of asking and no one will be ashamed of giving.

Will there be any debates with Forgy Kerr before the May 18 primary?
Every forum I’ve gone to Alice has not attended. We asked her to debate. She never responded. I’m getting the cold shoulder from her, which is nothing new. She’d like to keep it business as usual in Frankfort.

Copyright © 2010, Paulick Report

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Tags: alice forgy kerr, Andy Roberts, Breeders' Cup, david williams, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Standardbred, thoroughbred

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 8:34 am and is filed under Breeders' Cup, Kentucky, Slot machines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.