Gary Moore decimates "Parks Tax" talk

Here is an op-ed written by Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore.

Truth is often an early casualty in political battles and the campaign for Kentucky’s open 4th district congressional seat is no exception. As election day nears, some of my fellow Republican candidates are underestimating Republican voters’ ability to do math and, therefore, figure out the truth about their latest line of attack.

The issues of the day include the battle to make government smaller and more affordable, lowering taxes and eliminating over-regulation and protecting our individual freedoms. My platform is consistent with that of members of our party’s conservative base. Further, I’ve done all these things successfully for more than a decade as Boone County Judge Executive. Balanced budgets, no tax increases and getting government out of the way of private sector job creation combine to define my record.

Candidates usually start a campaign pushing positive messaging and only turn negative when they can’t get traction on the high road. My opponents all boast impressive resumes, but some have let frustration seduce them into attacking me personally and falsely.

They are falling into this trap right now by pushing a misleading narrative around what became known back in 2008 as the “Boone County Parks Tax.”

All the facts should tell my opponents this line of attack won’t work, but I think even if I demonstrate the truth to reasonable observers that desperation has set in. My main opponents are about to devote tremendous resources toward talking about this, so voters should be armed with the facts.

A diverse community obviously has diverse interests. In Boone County, we have active citizens who enjoy public parks and we have active citizens who oppose government activity in almost any form. In 2008, those constituencies clashed.

Elected officials in such communities must be creative in order to balance and properly serve these competing interests. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but it is part of the job. My challenge was complex, but the solution I proposed and the way it worked out could provide insight into how I will work in Congress.

Additional funds for parks in Boone County meant money would have to come from someplace. After many years of creating balanced county budgets despite increased demands, it was clear a big new project would require money from someplace. In fact, we determined it would take a 2.2% property tax increase to fund new park projects. Not wanting to unnecessarily increase the size of government, I negotiated tax cuts of an equal amount from various other agencies of county government and the fiscal court put the question on the ballot for both sides to make their case to voters.

After an in-depth study by ATR, this issue should be placed at rest by any objective observer. Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer watchdog group founded during the Reagan Administration to protect taxpayers from politicians surreptitiously raising their taxes. ATR actually pointed out that this effort resulted in a tax cut, since the voters rejected the tax increase but got to keep the tax cuts I negotiated.

It’s no wonder my opponents aren’t attacking me with what should truthfully be called the “Boone County Parks Tax Cut.”

I’m fortunate to have had a decades-long successful business career and to have been re-elected three times as a chief executive in county government. I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of very talented people and I have learned a lot by adhering to conservative principles.

I wouldn’t be running for Congress if I weren’t confident in my abilities to bring people together.”

Gary Moore smokes opponents on hemp

The leading congressional candidate in Kentucky's 4th congressional district race pushed his opponents to join him in support of firing up the state's agriculture industry with industrial hemp at a Wednesday night Farm Bureau forum.

Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore, discussing Environmental Protection Agency abuses of private farms, made a strong case for overturning federal prohibition of hemp in Kentucky.

His opponents more or less agreed with Gary.

Gary Moore, Tea Party candidate

In Monday's candidate forum, moderator Ryan Alessi asked for a show of hands among those who considered themselves Tea Party candidates. Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore's and Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington's answers were of the most consequence.

Gary Moore said yes. His tenure in Boone County backs this up as evidenced by his opponents attacking him almost entirely for a tax cut he engineered in 2008.

Alecia Webb-Edgington said no. We will take her at her word as well.

Massie SuperPAC can talk, but can't back it up

Thomas Massie says he isn't coordinating spending or messaging with the SuperPAC supposedly created to assist his congressional campaign in Kentucky's 4th district.

AmeriGOP likes to use Massie-like opponent-bashing that deserves scrutiny and either a show of evidence or an apology from Mr. Massie.

In a mailer distributed through the district recently, AmeriGOP tried to label Boone County Judge Executive a "big spender." This is a charge that no evidence supports. Massie should either support the charge or deny it, apologize for it and separate himself from it.

Free speech is one thing, but the well-worn tactic of launching false attacks through SuperPACs and thereby dodging responsibility is not behavior self-respecting Republicans in the 4th district want representing them. It reflects very poorly on Mr. Massie and his honest supporters should not tolerate it from him.

Massie releases "poll," attacks Gary Moore

Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie released an internal polling memo today showing him leading the pack in the 4th district congressional race. Then he posted yet another attack on Gary Moore to his web site.

... too much smoke and mirrors and not enough accountability or transparency. An excellent example of this is Gary Moore’s claim that he lowered the tax rate by 7%, implying your property taxes have been reduced. The truth is the tax rate is only one factor in the formula to compute your property tax bill. There are other factors. No one’s tax bill has gone down during his time in office. It’s just typical political smoke and mirrors.  

So apparently Thomas Massie is trying to say that lowering property tax rates is bad. Or maybe he means that it is bad when property values in your county go up.

Mr. Massie should release his poll questions and explain what his problem is with Gary Moore's tax cuts.

Webb-Edgington loses her own big day

Congressman Geoff Davis has been dialing for dollars for months to help his favorite candidate, Alecia Webb-Edgington, replace him in Congress. It hasn't worked very well, so today he called a press conference and endorsed her.

And he dragged Jim Bunning along to do the same.

The upshot is this was the last bullet in Team Webb-Edgington's six shooter. One month before election day, that's not good news. Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie got big news last week with the endorsement of presidential candidate Ron Paul and may get bigger news soon if Senator Rand Paul follows suit. But that will be Massie's last shot when it happens. Massie's rumor, innuendo and hearsay whisper campaign against Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore has drawn no blood and Senator Paul won't burn political capital like his father will. Massie presents well but can't distinguish himself without a very sharp edge to his attacks and can't attack sharply this late in the campaign to get better than second place.

So even the biggest day of Alecia Webb-Edgington's political career likely benefits Gary Moore the most, whose Northern Kentucky Right to Life endorsement will prove to be the most impactful of all.

John Yarmuth tries to eat Gary Moore's dog

Now that we know how Democrats like their canines -- with ketchup, no doubt -- along comes Louisville Congressman John Yarmuth, dogging the Republican most likely to replace Northern Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis next year.

The "newspaper" Yarmuth founded, Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), expressed alarm that the state's leading anti-abortion group had endorsed Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore. Worse, LEO accused Northern Kentucky Right to Life and Moore of hypocrisy for opposing local taxpayer funding of birth control pills.

Liberals are funny when they get upset, but everyone in Kentucky should keep a close eye on their dogs for a while because all that gnashing of teeth is bound to make them hungry.

NKY Right to Life to endorse Gary Moore

In their April newsletter to members, the Northern Kentucky Right to Life will endorse Gary Moore for Congress in Kentucky's 4th congressional district.

Combined with his opponents' nearly complete inability to score political points against Gary Moore, this endorsement looms large in next month's primary election. Northern Kentucky Right to Life endorsed Rand Paul in 2010, helping him win Trey Grayson's home district. They also endorsed Phil Moffett for Governor in 2011, helping him win the district despite being outspent ten-to-one.

Gary Moore versus Thomas Massie is no contest

Two well-funded campaigns in Kentucky's Fourth district Republican congressional primary provide interestingly contrasting management approaches of two men in their jobs as County Judge Executives.

At issue is the constant effort to take full advantage of federal grants and what the official's actions say about his political philosophy and how he might perform in Congress.

Recently, both Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie and Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore sought grants for public parks projects. Both were successful at attracting federal funds.

That is where the similarities end and the differences are striking. Massie's state grant called for a match with local funds. Massie has pulled $100,000 out of his own county's operating funds to complete a trails project. Moore's federal grant also necessitated a $100,000 match, but he raised the money locally through a non-profit organization, costing his county taxpayers nothing to buy more than 80 acres for public land.

Moore appears to be running well out in front of a crowded GOP primary field, but he isn't talking about this key difference between himself and Massie. Moore has been criss-crossing the district talking to local audiences about how the federal government can help address their needs in Congress without making our nation's fiscal situation worse. Meanwhile, Massie attacks Moore for his long -- and, frankly, laudable -- tenure as chief executive of what has become the most dynamic county in Kentucky. Massie has cause for concern. Despite attempting to run a national campaign using a variation of the tea party model, Massie has raised only $150,000, much of which has come in the form of donations he can't use in the primary election. Moore has raised more than $250,000 and will be able to spend all of it, if he has to, to win on May 22.

Another Massie attack highlights yet another fiscally conservative maneuver by Moore to assist his constituents. In 2008, a Boone County Parks Tax proposal answered the wishes of county activists who wanted more local parks and a local property tax increase to fund them. Judge Moore responded to the request by suggesting the lowering of local health, library and extension district taxes to completely cancel out the increase. Massie charges in his attacks that this clearly revenue neutral move somehow constituted a tax increase.

Gary Moore's record on economic development and fiscal responsibility in bustling Boone County, Kentucky is clearly as beneficial to his constituents as it is frustrating to his political opponents.