September 19, 2004
News Article
The News Enterprise
408 W. Dixie Ave
Elizabethtown, KY  42701

Magistrates mixed on merits of commissioners

Among those most directly affected by the outcome of November's vote on whether to replace Hardin County's eight magistrates with three commissioners are the magistrates themselves and the county Judge/Executive.

Although a few magistrates profess openness to either form of government, most see the commissioner form as reducing representation available to voters.

Magistrate Doug Goodman, who represents Radcliff and the Long View area, said constituents call him regularly to voice their opinions on issues from garbage service to roads to the hospital.

"I think you get better representation the closer it is to you," Goodman said.

Goodman said he was not sure how he would approach deciding commissioner's pay. That would depend on what other counties around the state pay, and whether commissioners would also form the hospital board, as magistrates do currently.

Magistrate Phillip Crady, whose district stretches from Elizabethtown toward the Nelson and Bullitt County lines, said he thought it would be hard to draw boundary lines that would result in equal representation for both the north and south ends of the county.

It might be simpler if there were only one urban center in Hardin County, Crady said.

"I can't look in a crystal ball and see what would happen, but you have the potential to create more of a quagmire of division than you have currently," Crady said.

Judge/Executive Harry Berry, who supports the move toward commissioners, said he believed a commissioner form of government, in which all members of fiscal court are elected countywide, would lessen, not increase, divisions within the county.

Berry said besides that, having three commissioners would make it easier to coordinate meetings, committees and reach a consensus on Fiscal Court.

"These three and the judge put together might produce a stronger team," Berry said.

Berry said he thought between $35,000 and $40,000 would be appropriate pay for commissioners, but that would be decided by the outgoing Fiscal Court.

Magistrate Bill Hay said he has made at least one presentation to voters about the differences between the two forms of government. Hay said he is not advocating one system over the other, but helping voters make an informed decision.

"I'm not out there trying to put it down, because I don't think that's my role," Hay said of the commissioner form of government.

Hay said he believes magistrates on the current court do a good job of looking out for the entire county, rather than focusing exclusively on their own district, as some who favor commissioners charge.

Magistrate Bill Brandenburg agreed.

"I've never made the assumption that individual districts are only interested in the concern of individual districts," Brandenburg said.

Brandenburg said one of the biggest questions he has is how the county will be divided if commissioners are approved.

Berry said that would not be decided until after the election.

"It would be inappropriate of me to establish boundary lines for something that doesn't exist yet," Berry said.

Berry said a point that's being missed in the debate is that while commissioners will live within one of three districts and will be chosen by only district voters in the primary, their main responsibility is to the county as a whole.

Magistrate Garry King said he was concerned about how much it would cost to run for election countywide instead of in an individual district. The higher cost could keep people from running, King said.

"It almost takes an ordinary guy out of the picture and that's bad," King said.

Berry said the concern with running for election was a smoke screen to scare voters away from commissioners. Berry pointed out that in the primary for the Judge/Executive's office, there were at least six candidates.

"There's not a shortage of people who want to run for these jobs," he said.

Magistrate Tom Jaggers said he had not decided if he would run for commissioner if voters choose that form of government. That decision was at least a year away, he said. Jaggers said the magistrate form of government was an effective way to manage a county.

"Most of the counties are on the magisterial system, and they seem to be working well," Jaggers said.