The candidates for state representative in House District 65 faced off in a debate this week at Trinity Episcopal Church. The event was hosted by the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
Democrat Charles “Buddy” Wheatley and Republican Jordan Huizenga are fighting to replace the retiring Arnold Simpson, a Democrat, who has represented the district since 1994.
The 65th district includes much of Covington, Ludlow, Park Hills, Bromley, Kenton Vale, and part of Taylor Mill.
Huizenga, a two-term Covington city commissioner, positioned himself as a candidate that informs voters and engages in open, civil dialogue rather than being driven by political ideology. He said that he can speak on specifics of issues rather than relying on general talking points.
Huizenga argued that he would advocate for the best interests of the community through collaborative leadership, transparency, and efficient government. He would also fight for better funding for early childhood education, he said.
“I want Kentucky to have the best schools in the nation,” said Huizenga, an executive at Children, Inc., the Covington-based nonprofit that provides education and educational opportunities to kids. Huizenga has made education a central piece of his campaign in a year that Republicans in Frankfort are facing criticism for a pension reform bill signed into law this year, and later found to be unconstitutional, derided by teachers across the state.
Wheatley, an attorney and retired Covington fire chief, also supports more funding for public education.
The candidates were asked specifically about Senate Bill 151, the pension reform legislation derided as the “sewage bill” for its late insertion into a different bill at a late hour during the 2018 General Assembly.
The plan would change the way Kentucky’s retired teachers are paid in the future, with new hires being placed into a 401(k)-like savings plan.
Wheatley noted his experience in working through labor issues, as he’s represented the City of Covington’s fire department union as an attorney. He said there needs to be a better way to fund the retirement of Kentucky’s teachers.
Huizenga also said that he sees the issue as more of an obligation for the state coffers rather than a liability.
The issue was first posed by moderator Mark Hansel, and then again by an audience member.
Huizenga said that he would have found it “very difficult” to vote for SB 151 if he had been in office.
Wheatley said that he would have opposed it.
As for the region’s heroin crisis, Huizenga said that he would like to explore investment in “prevention that works”, arguing that the state’s current efforts should be adjusted for technology, and that by incorporating multiple forms of treatment – along with criminal penalties – the state could see savings.
Wheatley said that long-term prevention options, coupled with transitional housing for patients, job training, and additional life coaching should also be pursued to solve the problem.
“I also feel,” Wheatley said, “that using nurses to the full extent of their profession will help as well.”
Written by Kareem Simpson, RCN contributor
