Partnership is a common theme in the May 21 Republican primary race for Kenton County’s 64th House district seat.
Both incumbent Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser (R-Taylor Mill) and opponent Karen Campbell say building relationships is important to bringing about change in their district, covering central and east-central Kenton County, and across Northern Kentucky.
Affordable housing and health care are two issues bridging both campaigns.
Moser, a four-term state representative, chairs the House Health Services committee. She retired from a career as both a neonatal ICU nurse and flight nurse. She also is a former director of the NKY Office of Drug Control Policy. Moser and her husband, Neal, have five sons and three grandchildren.
Campbell is a real estate agent with over 25 years of experience. She manages a local real estate office. She and her husband, Randy, live with their granddaughter in Independence.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Heather Crabbe on Nov. 5. Crabbe is an Independence-based attorney who served as assistant dean of NKU’s Chase College of Law after serving several years as a public defender.
The 64th House district includes Ryland Heights, Taylor Mill and parts of Covington, Edgewood, Erlanger and Independence.
Kimberly Poore Moser
LINK asked Moser to respond to two questions about her plans if she is reelected to the 60th House seat in November. These are her responses:
What plans do you have for Northern Kentucky?
“I would like to preface these comments by saying what an honor it is to build relationships with and create partnerships across our region to find solutions to problems and make improvements to everyday life for residents. In addition to my time working as a NICU and flight nurse and serving as president of the American Medical Association Alliance working on health care issues across the state and nation, I served as the director of NKY Office of Drug Control Policy. We worked to find solutions and resources for individuals suffering from a substance use disorder and families desperate for help. I worked locally with judges, jailers, families, treatment providers and more. This is the foundation of my work ethic in this community.
“Jobs and economic development: Continue to work on growth and development projects, funding of roads, infrastructure and bringing jobs to NKY; I will continue to work toward lowering the state personal income tax to allow taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned money. I enjoy working with our mayors and county fiscal court on matters closest to the people I represent.
“Affordable housing: I would like to investigate and work toward more affordable housing in NKY by participating in the Affordable Housing Task Force to address the problem systematically during the interim.
“Child care and benefits: Work with employers to address benefit cliff to ensure that individuals can fully participate and advance in their employment while working toward independence.
“Improve Health Care: Continue to improve health care options, finding efficiencies and addressing barriers to patient care. I have worked tirelessly to pass legislation to improve care for cancer patients, mental health initiatives, tobacco cessation, lung health, and system changes such as Department of Public Health transformation, standards of care for the treatment of substance use disorders and, most recently, health care to address Kentucky’s high maternal mortality.
“Substance use disorders or mental health care: I will continue to fight for individuals with a substance use disorder to increase and improve treatment resources, reentry supports and eliminating barriers to second chance employment and educational opportunities. We must continue to fight stigma to ensure treatment for [these] conditions.
“Education and parental rights: Support efforts to improve educational options for families; empower families to participate fully in their children’s education.
“Public safety: Ensure that our law enforcement are adequately funded and supported to keep our neighborhoods safe; support stricter laws for violent offenders.
“Transportation: Because I sit on the Transportation Committee, I will have a front row seat to the needs of our state and region, ensuring that NKY receives the funding that we need for roads and infrastructure.”
How will you make sure NKY’s voice is heard in Frankfort?
“It is important to me to understand the needs of my community. To that end, I will continue to meet with my neighbors and constituents to understand their concerns. Issues around public safety, health care and barriers to care, educational opportunities, jobs and the economy and transportation continue to rise to the top of the concerns I hear.
“As chairman of Health Services [Committee], addressing the health care delivery system, Medicaid and insurance costs, and barriers and access to care are critical pieces of how I am improving Kentucky’s poor health metrics. Access to treatment for substance use disorder treatment and mental health care across the commonwealth remain a priority for me. I am also the vice-chair of Health and Human Services for the National Legislative Exchange Council, a leadership position and forum on national health care trends and problem-solving across the nation.
“Serving on the Transportation Committee will better ensure funding for safer roads and infrastructure. Northern Kentucky has become a national distribution hub, and all forms of transportation, from our international airport to our roads, rail and waterways, must be prioritized to grow our economy and jobs.
“I serve on the Judiciary Committee, and also chair the Criminal Justice Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council, another national post working to reform criminal and juvenile justice systems. My priority is to make certain that offenders are held accountable but get counseling and support that will keep them out of the criminal justice system long-term. Addressing the safety of our community is imperative, which will always include my working with and supporting our law enforcement. Finding approaches to prevent criminal activity, addressing poverty, abuse and neglect, substance use and mental health early in a person’s life and reducing recidivism in all populations are areas of great concern to me.
“Serving on Elections and Constitutional Amendments affords me the opportunity to ensure election integrity, making it safe and easy to vote, guard our constitution and understand the importance of these guiding principles. It is our civic duty to participate in elections to determine how our government supports and enhances our community.
“These are some of the many ways that I will make sure that NKY remains an economic driver for the commonwealth and a safe and prosperous place to live and raise a family.”
Karen Campbell
LINK asked Campbell to respond to two questions about her plans if she is reelected to the 60th House seat in November. These are her responses:
What plans do you have for Northern Kentucky?
“A major concern that has been voiced to me is the lack of medical options in Northern Kentucky.
“NKY residents know that Cincinnati is equipped with said options. However, the commute, especially during rush hours, sports events and traffic due to accidents becomes even more cumbersome. Elderly residents, afraid of driving the routes to these facilities, are deprived of expanded options, or must arrange special transportation for expanded treatment options. Repealing the certificate of need will open up avenues of medical choice for NKY residents and families.
“Having worked in the housing industry for over 25 years, I am aware of the skyrocketing costs and lack of inventory in the housing market – both purchases and rentals. Implementing a team of experienced professionals in NKY as well as citizens could provide answers to ease our housing crisis. This broken chain in our communities is bigger than a one-person cure. Linking arms with city and county officials, professionals and citizens, I believe, can pave the way to a reprieve in NKY.”
How will you make sure NKY’s voice is heard in Frankfort?
“I would like to implement regular public meetings such as town halls or meet-’n’-greets with the constituents of District 64. Much can be done by not only networking the people of Northern Kentucky with Frankfort, but among the community itself. Face-to-face communication, I believe, will be a powerful instrument to engage and connect NKY with Frankfort.”