Episode 18: One Conversation at a Time with Carrie Truitt

In this episode of Mildly Amusing, James sits down with Carrie Truitt, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Kentucky’s 14th District State Senate seat. Raised in Bradfordsville on a dairy and tobacco farm, Carrie brings a background in agriculture, education, and community service.

She has served on the local school board since 2016 and currently works with Leadership Kentucky, a statewide program that brings leaders together to gain a full view of the Commonwealth. Prior to that, she worked with Hosparus Health. Carrie shares how running for this office has been on her radar for several years and how she carefully considered the responsibility before making the decision to step forward.

Carrie talks about her approach to leadership, built on listening, transparency, and staying connected to the community. She believes in solving problems one conversation at a time and emphasizes the importance of understanding the full picture when tackling issues. From school funding to income tax, she walks through how decisions affect both sides of the equation and why it’s important to find solutions people can stand behind.

This conversation offers a thoughtful look at leadership, service, and what it means to stay engaged with the people you represent. Whether you follow politics closely or just want to better understand the people stepping up to serve, this is one worth a listen.

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:08

Welcome back. This is James Braggins, your host of the mildly amusing uh podcast. And um I'm very happy to have um with us today Carrie Gribbon's Druid. Uh a lot of you already know Carrie, but you and you probably already know that she's made a big decision to run for um the um 14th district senate seat that is being uh vacated by Jimmy Higden. And um so she's off and running, and uh she's got a good story to tell, and uh I think that you will enjoy hearing from her, hear from what she says, and uh might make my heart even intolerable that I did yes. So um anyway, thanks so much for joining us again uh for the Modely Amusing podcast. We'll be right back. Welcome back, this is James the Braggins, and this is Modley Amusing. Or so we aim. Um Gary Drew, thank you so much for being our guest. I appreciate you agreeing to uh come do the show. Um so you have made um a lot of people probably already know um that you've made a big decision uh and you've decided to run for the Democratic nomination for uh just in the shorthand. Jimmy Hig didn't send it.

unknown 1:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:37

Um but uh first I'd like you to give us a little bit of your just your a little bit of your bio, you know, some of your background and some of the stuff that you have, some of the trouble you've gotten into. Good trouble, as uh John Lewis says. Uh but tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you're you're a Marion County girl.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

I am a Marion County girl, born and raised in Bradfordsville, Kentucky, that booming metropolis with the caution light. Um and grew up on a dairy and tobacco farm there, so have lots of fond memories, um, and not so fond memories really, of milking cows, of feeding calves, of setting tobacco. Uh I actually told my dad that I would only work on the tobacco setter one time if I could wear my bathing suit and get a tan at the same time. Uh and so just in hey, it's the trade-offs, right? Uh so grew up a lot doing that. And, you know, my grandmother is a big part of who I am today, and I talk about her often because she's just outstanding. She is a fiery 88-year-old pistol who reminds me every day that it's important to be a strong female in this day and age. I've have fond memories of being in her office at Lebanon Elementary School.

SPEAKER_06 2:50

And I was then I was there in like second or third grade when she took that job.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah. Uh she's a rock star. I just absolutely love every opportunity to share about her.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Um, I graduated from Marion County High School in 1996, so coming up on 30 years this May, which is insane. Um, from there I went to UK and I was always involved in uh marching band from seventh grade all the way through high school and stayed in it.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Yeah, yeah. Um I'm a flute player, so everybody who asks, I will say I'm a flute player.

SPEAKER_05 3:24

But who was the band director then?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Um I there were a few. We were going through a period of transition. Yes. Uh we had Mike Leet and David Tonnell. Oh, yeah. Um, Craig Doolin was the middle school band director for a while and very cool guy. Uh and then we had Jennifer Tonnell, uh, and she is yeah, who I graduated with. Yeah, she's she was an amazing lady and an amazing teacher.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Um, but I continued in marching band all through my years at UK and really enjoyed doing that, and that led me to a degree in arts administration. And then um I mean, of course. Right.

SPEAKER_05 4:01

I mean it's a natural progression.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 4:04

You say so.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Yeah. Um I I I had a little stint in music ed for a little while. And um while I appreciate all of those people who go into the classroom, yeah, that was not the place I needed to be. Yeah, yeah. Uh and so that degree program kind of helped me figure that out. Um and then met Michael, came back to Lebanon and and convinced him to come back here, and that's a funny story in and of itself. But um, and we've got three amazing kids, and uh I'm running around like crazy all all the time going to soccer matches and volleyball. Volleyball, that's right. We picked up another sport for some reason this year, so you know, because we did not have enough going on.

SPEAKER_06 4:47

That one's not too bad though. It's not, it's it's kind of it's enjoyable to watch, I think.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Yeah, it's a lot of fun, and they don't have to be too good at it to have a good time.

SPEAKER_06 4:54

So it's better than swim. Yes, because your kid's doing it very briefly.

unknown 4:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:59

It's in the winter and it is hot as 80s and everything in in that pool anyway. Yeah. Which apropos of nothing. Um but uh okay, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

So then um, so you know, just that family background. Um on the political side, I ran for school board in 2016 and uh had a very successful run then, so I'm still serving there, and then um got a little bout of insanity and a desire to do something more, so I filed my papers to run for state senate this January.

SPEAKER_06 5:30

So you were on school board for all that fun nickel tax?

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Nickel tax, COVID. I got all the hits. All the hits COVID too, that's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_06 5:37

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Um, but somehow the nickel tax somehow passed. It's kind of remarkable.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Well, I think it's all about the plan that school districts put out there because people understand the needs that exist in school districts, and so when you have something that people can get behind, then paying a little extra seems worthwhile. So, and I hope we've we've shown them that return on investment with what we've gotten so far, and we're not done yet.

SPEAKER_06 6:05

And you're not done yet. Yeah. Right. Speaking of 11 elementary, there's gonna be a new 11 elementary, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Uh that's what we're pushing for. So waiting for that uh budget to come out this year so that we can finalize the details and hit the ground running.

SPEAKER_06 6:17

Okay, very good. Um, but you've done other things. Tell us about the things that actually um, you know, put food on the table. Tell us about your working career.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

So right now I am working with Leadership Kentucky. I've been there since last May. And for people who've gone through Leadership Lebanon, uh, it is a similar setup, but it's a statewide program. And so our focus is to bring leaders together to highlight all of the wonderful things going on all across the Commonwealth of Kentucky and also showcase um the challenges that communities are facing and kind of how leaders are coming together regardless of the letters that come after their names to make good things happen. And so getting to see those things from Pikeville to Paducah and Covington down to Somerset, there are always these unique threads that run in each community because you know we feel like Lebanon and Marion County is not like any other place on earth, right? But what I've seen in visiting all of these communities across the state is that there are common threads running throughout the challenges that we face, whether it's with housing or mental health care or or supporting families in need, like that exists everywhere in Kentucky. And so when we learn from the leaders in those communities and what they're doing to address those problems, we can, you know, steal ideas outright and bring them back home to make our own home communities a better place to be. And then collectively, we hope to make Kentucky a better place to be.

SPEAKER_06 7:52

And so I went through Leadership Lebanon, and if you signed up, I don't remember it was not a competitive application or anything. I assume Leadership Kentucky is though.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

It is, it is a very competitive application, and that window just closed last week. So um we're excited to kind of look at the new round of applicants. Um have increased interest this year. I was really excited, especially since a lot of my communication strategies are driving that interest, and so it's like, yes, what I'm doing every day is working. So uh so it'll be each class always has its own personality and its own personalities in that class. Uh and so it's always fun to see how those come together and how um classes will kind of work with each other or not, um, and just engage with each other, have fun, learn, do all those things together. And so I've been through two complete classes of Leadership Kentucky so far, both of them alike in some ways, and both of them very different in some ways. And so I'm excited to see what 26 brings for this year's class.

SPEAKER_06 8:59

And it's just like leadership learning, it is it is a year-long course or program or something.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

We kick off in June and then the class graduates in December. So it's seven yeah, so it's seven full months. Um we have three day sessions. Um, so we'll we'll show up in a community usually midday on Wednesday and then leave midday on Friday. And so people still have an opportunity, depending upon where they're coming from, to um get a little work done uh or you know, kind of cut out early on a Friday and get their weekend started. So it's a good setup for sure.

SPEAKER_06 9:33

And so you go all over the state.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

We do. So this year we uh we always start in Berea. Um and uh I'm curious. It's centrally located somewhat. So not as much as Lebanon, because we are the geographic center of the state. That's right. Um, but it is it's got a wonderful personality. There's so much history and culture that exists in Berea.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

And what we do there, uh it's always surprising because what we do there in Berea is very internally focused. So the class is getting to know each other. Um, we do an activity called Simulated Society, which, if you've never done it, I encourage you to seek out an opportunity to do it. You will learn lessons that will blow your mind. Um so we do that for an entire day, and then the next day is all about personality indexes and putting leaders and groups together depending on how they'll work together or not. And so it's interesting that we start in such a beautiful community with so many things to see, and we spend most of our time inside together while we're there. So um, so we always encourage people to really maybe spend the weekend in Berea while you're there so that we can kind of give back to that community and expose our leaders to that community as well. Uh this year we'll also be visiting Hopkinsville and Bowling Green. Um, I'm one of those people that for the longest time I thought bowling green was Western Kentucky. It is not. There's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_06 11:01

I always, same here. I always just yes, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

I mean, you know, Western Kentucky University is there, right?

SPEAKER_06 11:08

D Town and beyond.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Right. So um, but Paducah is way down there, and Fulton, Kentucky is even further than that. Yeah. I mean, it takes a good two hours or more to drive from Rowling Green to the end of Kentucky. Right. I mean, and so I always think about when we go on vacation and we're driving through Georgia, it's like, good gravy, it takes forever to get through this state. But if you're driving from west to east across Kentucky, it's a similar distance. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Yeah.

unknown 11:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

So um, but we we try to give people a good view of the entire Commonwealth. Um, we'll visit communities in eastern Kentucky in the past. We've gone to Pikeville, Ashland, Moorhead. We typically try to visit Covington, and if you haven't been there, that's an amazing place to be. It really, really is so cool up there. Um we're going to Somerset this year, so I'm excited to see kind of what we will showcase while we're in Somerset and just the interesting things that they have going on there. Uh and so again, we're just trying to give people a full view of Kentucky. Um, and I know that through this job, you know, I'm a lifelong Kentuckian and I don't have any intention of ever leaving this state, but this job has truly made me fall in love with the Commonwealth again, and it's an amazing place to be.

SPEAKER_06 12:24

Yeah. Well that's good. Yeah, the more you know. Um first of all, I don't know how the heck you're gonna run a campaign and also do Leadership Kentucky. Right. Um but uh also tell us a little bit more about you've you've done some other work. I mean, go a little bit into that and then we'll talk about your campaign.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

So I think um one of my longest held positions with was with Hosperous Health, and I think um a lot of families in our community have a positive experience with that hospice care organization. My role there was volunteer management, and I met some of the most beautiful people that I've ever encountered in my entire life. And a lot of those people are still involved in that work, they're still volunteering there, they're still giving back. But it's just um, you know, I got to see every single day how much meaning there is in finding a way to let go of a loved one. We don't always think about that. We think about how important it is to hold on, like capture every moment and live in the present with your children or your parents or your family members. But finding a way to let go of them with beauty and grace and compassion is just as important as everything else. And it can leave you with a lasting impression. And so I treasure the people that I worked with there because they're just the most amazing people on the planet. Um, they go and do this work every day and they support families in good times and in bad. Um, and just uh it's something that I'll carry with me every day for sure. And if I you know, if I don't move on and talk about something else, they'll start crying. So that would not be amusing at all.

SPEAKER_06 14:07

That would not exactly, exactly. Um speaking of which, about I don't know, 15 or so years ago, I read this book. You probably know it. It's called Being Mortal, and it was written by Atul Gawande, funny name, but uh very impressive. He's a surgeon, but he also writes for The New Yorker. I guess he still does, I don't know. But I have never forgotten that book, and just like you were saying, it really forces you to be more thoughtful and intentional about you gotta make choices. The end, the end is coming, and you know, and you wanted to make your best, you know, make your best choices while you can. And then also, you know, I was a caregiver for my parents and all that, you know. Um, and if we had not had Hospice, by the way, uh that just meant the world to us. Uh I'm convinced it extended my mother's life uh and brought quality because she was able to get care at home, um, which would not have really been possible. We decided, you know, and I was also informed by that book, and you know, at some point you need to stop chasing the cures that are not there because you are diminishing quality of life while you're doing this. Hours sitting in a nursing in a in a uh waiting room to see a doctor for something that ain't gonna happen. Um you gotta think about these things. And so anyway, I do think there's a reason that you often see at the end of an obituary in lieu of flowers contributions to hospice of central Kentucky or EDown or whatever it is. Yeah, but anyway, that's that's that's God's work. Um yeah, so anyway, so how long had you been so you you you know what it is to run for office and get elected and all that madness, but how long had you been thinking about this other elected office, this state senate race? How long had you been thinking about it? What pushed you?

SPEAKER_01 16:03

So I I'll say I had probably been thinking about it and had it on my radar for a couple years, maybe a little more. Uh, and I just knew because of the work and the opportunities that I'd gotten to um take part in on the school board, I knew that I wanted to do more and I wanted to have a broader impact, not necessarily a more important impact, because there is no more important impact than what you can do for our kids. But um, so I'd been thinking about it for a while and kind of mulling it over, had talked to a couple of people and just put whispers out into the ether to say, hey, this is in my brain somewhere, and we'll see when the timing is right. And so when Jimmy announced that he was retiring, I thought, hmm, okay. Well, the timing's not exactly right personally, because I've got a senior graduating high school this year, and we've got all kinds of stuff and all the full-time job, and um, and that's a delicate balance to to navigate, but there never is a better opportunity um when there's an open seat. And I think that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_06 17:15

That's why there's so many running.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

Exactly. Uh so I think everybody who put their name in the hat um kind of saw the same writing on the wall that I did. Uh, and I felt like if I didn't do it now, then it would be a much tougher proposition in the future. So had all of the conversations. I think I was having conversations all the way up until the day before. Like, how do we work this out and how do we make this happen? And how do I continue to do my job while also being a candidate, while also being on the school board? What implications could it have? Um, and I, you know, I think a lot of people um kind of wondered why it took me so long to file, but it was it was having all of those conversations and making sure that I had considered every possible outcome or um or change that could possibly happen because of me doing this. And so I didn't want it to have any uh negative implications for anything. Um I know it's gonna be hard, it's gonna be hard for me and my family. Yeah, and we know that going in, but there are bigger things that I'm involved in that I didn't want to put at risk. Describe the district, it's kind of funky, but uh tell me where it's gotten a little less funky because we don't have any split counties anymore, so that's that's a good thing. Um so we the 14th district uh encompasses the entirety of Marion, Washington, LaRue, Nelson, and Spencer counties.

SPEAKER_06 18:45

So Marion, Washington, LaRue, Spencer, and what?

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Nelson.

SPEAKER_06 18:49

Spencer and Nelson. Okay. Big enough.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

It's it's pretty big. It's pretty big. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 18:55

So I don't know why you're here. You should be in one of these. I know, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:01

I mean I mean, this is Marion County.

SPEAKER_06 19:03

This is campaign malpractice. You should not be here.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:08

Uh yeah, I don't know how you're doing it.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Um I haven't figured out how to clone myself just yet, but if I if it can happen, I will I will do it.

SPEAKER_06 19:17

So gotcha, gotcha. Um, I assume a big well, I know a big part of it is you gotta make contacts in some of these counties with which you're less familiar. What's that been like? How do you find how do you find these people who are gonna potentially be your advocates?

SPEAKER_01 19:32

So I I think step one is to just show up in those communities. Uh and the wonderful thing that I've learned throughout this process is that I have small connections in each of these five counties. And so that's been a pleasant surprise uh to me. I I I know people that I went to high school with um in LaRue County, so you know, marching band kids with Joanna Browning, and I had touch base with her several times uh in at the Kentucky School Board Association conference every year because she serves on the school board over in LaRue County. Um and so we're just like, hey, how you doing? Doing all the catch up, and and this year I I told her what I was doing, and and she was like, that's great, we should touch base sometime. And then I was asking about how to best get in contact with her. And a friend of mine gave me her phone number, and she was like, This is Joanna Hinton, and I was like, wait, Joanne Hinton, Hinton's Orchard in LaRue County. She's from here. She's from here. Exactly. Exactly. So um, and and Joanna has, you know, she she's a wonderful business owner there in LaRue County, just does amazing work over there. It's a wonderful place. It's a beautiful place.

SPEAKER_06 20:50

Since the boys were little, absolutely. They don't go play in the silo anymore.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah. I know. One of my favorite pictures of Jack is at Hinton's Orchard, and it's just a really uh special place to be, but to have that small connection and just be able to have a conversation with her about her community and what makes it special and what makes it challenging, and um, and just to put those little dots together. Uh having a conversation with my mother-in-law, and she said, I've got friends all over Spencer County. And so just getting out there and being in that place. Um, I went to the Spencer County Chamber of Commerce luncheon for the first time ever. Didn't know a single person in the room, but just went around, introduced myself, told people who I was and why I was there that day. Um, and had a great conversation with a local attorney, Jim Hodge. Uh he was truly special to talk with, been there for a long time, has actually handled a few cases here in Marion County and contributed to my campaign that day. Just after a five-minute conversation. And so it's nice to put those little pieces of the puzzle together and be able to connect these.

SPEAKER_06 22:01

And Spencer has become uh is a growing bedroom community. I recently heard it's in like the top three or five um median income counties in the state of Kentucky, which you always think of Oldham County and you know the big metropolitan areas. But um so how do you reach these folks who are working in Louisville uh and coming home and um I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

It seems like that would be a little a little more difficult to it's definitely more challenging to reach uh Spencer County ends than maybe it is because they may not come to the chambered luncheon. Right, right. And so um just having conversations with people and again looking for those little ways um to connect the dots. I think Jim, I asked him where I could get a good cup of coffee, and he sent me to the key the teacup in in Taylorsville on Main Street there. So uh I met another gentleman who is renovating the train depot there in Spencer County, and so would love to have an opportunity to see that once everything is is up and running and um completed there. And so again, just one conversation at a time, one touch point at a time. That's really all we as people can do. It's not gonna be an event every time where we can reach 75 to 100 people. Sometimes the most important conversations that I can have as a candidate is with one person who will then go have a conversation with one person uh and just kind of put it together.

SPEAKER_06 23:25

Yeah. Uh this is a big enough area. Uh a big area means big dollars um that you have to spend. Um what's it like um trying to generate these dollars? Trying to trying to raise it's unfortunately in American politics, it's all about the money that you can raise to carry your message for like what are you what are your plans for that?

SPEAKER_01 23:50

I mean I know a little bit about it, but what are your plans to raise money and um you know, if if you want to give a a web address, you know, uh where folks could sure so yes, fundraising has become a huge part of American politics, and I am not unfamiliar with fundraising. Of course, a lot of that is what I do professionally. It is very surreal to raise money for myself versus raising money for a mission for like hospice. Exactly, right? Yeah, and um, you know, raising money for Leadership Kentucky or some of the other organizations. It's just strange to then go and ask people to support me and what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_06 24:33

Give me money for me at this time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

So I had to get my brain wrapped around okay, you have to treat yourself and the work that you are going to do as the next state senator of the 14th district as a mission because that's what it is. And people will get behind something that they believe in. I've said for years and learned this when I was at UK that it's not necessarily about, you know, giving big dollars behind an organization. It is that one-to-one relationship with a person that they can trust. And so if I can have a conversation with someone who trusts in me and my motivation and what I hope to do, then that gift will come very naturally, right? And so I think it's important for me just to continue to talk about what I've done uh over the past two decades, whether it's working with nonprofits or serving on the school board, I think I've cultivated a reputation of being very transparent, very accessible, very communicative. People know that they can come to me, they can talk to me about what issues they're facing or the things that they want to accomplish in this community, and that I'll listen to them and do something with that. And so because of that trust that I've built with people, it makes that conversation about a gift a little easier because they know that it's going to a person that they can get behind and values that they can get behind. And so a lot of what I'm finding about the way that people like to give, especially in this area of Kentucky, is just through little events here and there. Um, and so have been lucky enough to have several people host those for me at their homes. I always tell them we're not gonna do the high dollar, you know, admission price to this. It's the more the merrier. And when people come and if they haven't met me before, if they come to those and they listen to what I have to say freely and openly and they can get behind it, then again, that gift will come naturally. And whatever is most meaningful to that person will be incredibly meaningful to me in the work that I hope to continue to do. So we're just gonna continue to talk to people and encourage those contributions in whatever capacity someone can give. And a lot of times that means that they can't give it all. But if they can give an hour to go help us knock on doors or put a sign in their yard to say, I support this, then then that's important to me too.

SPEAKER_06 27:01

Um in making your decision to run, uh, I assume that some of it is you decided, well, I can just continue to howl at the moon about these things that I think need to happen. Or I could throw my hat in the ring and try to do something tangible about it. Give us an idea of what some of the issues are that uh are motivating you to run.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

Um I will say that Michael absolutely hates this quality about me. So um anytime I see a problem somewhere, I'm not content to sit and just be like, well, that stinks. I'm just not gonna do anything about that. I um am compelled to get in and help fix and help uh develop a solution from the inside. And so I think some of the issues that I see are the things that I see firsthand with families that are sending their kids to our schools every day. It's we have babies that come to school that haven't had breakfast. And so that's why bec breakfast at school is critical. It's not just about um the school district putting another meal out there for any kind of federal dollars that we can get. Those children need to be fed because it's not happening for some of them at home. Um a lot of them, a lot of them. One of the big considerations that is looked at when we close school or not is, you know, especially when the temperatures were so low this time around. And a lot of people thought, why are you having school? It's really so cold. You've got kids waiting at the bus stop. But because of the timing of other school closures, it's some of those kids haven't been in a warm building since Wednesday. We gotta go to school today. We have to go to school today. Um, and so when you look at all of the challenges that families who are struggling to make things happen, those are the things that drive me most. Uh, and it's looking at those kids. Those kids deserve an opportunity to be successful too. And so we need to make sure that we're supporting them in our schools. Um, I think the public education system in our state and in our country, it's not perfect, but it's the only one built to serve every single child out there. That's a fact. And so I uh I just can't um abide by policies that seem to continually chip away at what that has to offer. And uh it's just incredibly frustrating. And so I think that's part of it too, is just dealing with the policies that come down from the legislature, and we have to then react to those policies at a sch for a school district. And it becomes hard when you know that. I mean, we do have some educators in the legislature, but a really easy fix is just to have conversations who are with people who are in the classroom every day, like and truly listen to what they're dealing with and what they're struggling with and what our kids are struggling with. They know and they will tell you if you openly ask and invite them to a conversation. And I think we need more people in Frankfurt who are willing to do just that. Yeah. Uh I don't, you know, in my role on the board, I don't like to sit and wait for an angry phone call in order to address something. I stay engaged in the community, I stay tapped in, I follow lots of stuff on Facebook so that I can see little trigger points or things bubbling up. And it's like, okay, we need to tamp this one down or tackle this issue before it gets to be something bigger. And I think I would like to take that strategy. I mean, I know this district, when you're talking about one-fifth of one county for a school board member versus five counties for a state senator, it's no small feat to make sure that you're engaged in each of those communities and understand what's going on there. But that's what I'm gonna try to do. Yeah, and do it every day and make sure that I stay engaged with people and just involved and know that agriculture is a huge concern.

SPEAKER_06 31:10

I was just about to bring that up. And of course you have that background.

SPEAKER_01 31:13

Right, right. Uh, and I see, you know, I know that my family struggled with it so much so that we don't farm anymore. Right. It's just not a proposition that a lot of families can make a successful living in. And so I commend the farm families here uh in Marion County and everywhere who continue to do it every day because it is not an easy way to live. It's not an easy way to earn a living. You've got to love it, you've got to want it, um, you've got to sink everything you've got into it.

SPEAKER_06 31:44

And probably somebody's gonna have to work off the farm.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Exactly, uh, in order to make things successful. And so just helping our farm families and and learning more about what they're what they're doing and what they're living with. I have that background, but I don't live on a farm anymore. So it's gonna be imperative for me to pick up the phone and call farmers, not wait for them to call me, but to call them and say, what's happening? What's going on? What struggles are you facing today that could close down your farm tomorrow?

SPEAKER_06 32:12

Because they know exactly what they would like the state to do to help them.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

They do, they do. And so again, it's just inviting people to a conversation. And you don't have to invite 500 people to a conversation. Like I said earlier, it's one conversation at a time that can teach you one thing that will lead you to ask another question. And so I really think that that's um that's important for legislators to continue to do.

SPEAKER_06 32:36

Yeah. So it sounds like education and agriculture are two maybe of the ones closest to your heart. Um what what and there I'm sure there are others. What um what committees are you, if you're able to get in, what committees do you aim to?

SPEAKER_01 32:52

I actually just had to answer this question this morning, and education absolutely. I think we need more advocates for public education um in Frankfurt and and on the education committee because again, it's it's bringing that frame of reference and that perspective that doesn't exist there right now. Um and another one absolutely would be transportation. Senator Higdon has done a really spectacular job in making sure that that infrastructure is built and exists. And I don't want the 14th district to lose that seat at the table. And so that work is important to continue.

SPEAKER_06 33:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

And then lastly, and this is because it does affect everybody.

SPEAKER_06 33:34

And it affects it affects industry. Yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Uh and so that's an important one for for me just because of the legacy that he's leaving through his Senate work. And then lastly, economic development, tourism, and labor. It is where Kentucky gets to tell its story. And it is where a lot of the things that move Kentucky forward will happen. And so it's a great place to advocate for working families, for working people. It's a wonderful place to highlight the incredible things that we have going on in Kentucky with regard to tourism. And I think one piece of the conversation that's been missed when it comes to personal income tax and economic development. Um, I've gotten an opportunity to talk to some economic development professionals who have said we use income tax credits as a way to attract business to Kentucky. As the income tax rate is lowered, that credit becomes less valuable.

SPEAKER_05 34:32

I never thought about that.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

We are not having conversations, at least in order to move forward on alternatives that we can use to kind of attract business because that in and of itself, as our legislators have stressed numerous times, we have several states around us who have a zero percent income tax rate. So, again, what do we do as Kentucky in an economic development environment to attract those businesses? How do you differentiate yourself from those other states?

SPEAKER_06 35:00

Tennessee, Indiana, I'm not sure what all what other ones ever and we're aiming apparently to go down to a zero percent income tax. Um I wonder what you think about this. Uh so it seems like one of the things that has made me scratch my head about the leadership that we have is that they are screaming about um uh lack of dollars while also denying themselves the dollars that they're saying we would need to do things like universal pre-kindergarten. Um not just they're uh lowering to zero the income tax, but I will never get over this. This will never sit well with me, but they're doing away with the barrel tax. Right. Kentucky uh is unique in in the United States in uh its distilled spirits uh in the world. In the world, that's right. Um I don't know if they thought, well, you know, if we don't do this, they'll move. If they want to market their fine old Nebraska bourbon, go right ahead. That's my that's how I feel about it.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

So it doesn't have the same ring to it.

SPEAKER_06 36:08

Not quite, not quite, that's right. Um, and so uh the legislature, as far as I know, they weren't getting a lot of uh Prono Ricard, uh these uh multinational corporations which largely own our bourbon industry, it's not owned in in Kentucky, not even owned largely in the United States. It's oh I mean, you still have Brown Foreman, uh Ernest and Giulio Gallo did just purchase um um four roses, so there's that. But why did we decide to say, I'm sorry, we cannot have universal pre-K and other things? Because it's more important that these uh places headquartered across the pond get a tax break. I just don't get it. I j I just don't get it.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

I think that's the piece of it that gets missed in this conversation about personal income tax, is that it's it's math. And in math, there are two sides of the equation. Yep. Right? As you take things away on one side, if you want though that equal sign to be an equal sign, then you've got to take things away on the other side. And so we haven't spent a lot of time talking about the specific programs and opportunities and support services that will have to go away when we decrease those income tax revenues. And and that's really the only way to find a path to zero. I know that the legislature has set specific benchmarks that they want to meet in order to continue to trigger those reductions. And so I appreciate at least that um bit of thought about okay, well, we want to responsibly trigger these reductions, but we haven't talked about what goes away.

SPEAKER_05 37:52

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 37:54

And so I look at a specific example here in Marion County. We've heard for the last couple of years about an historic investment in SIG funding across Kentucky, and it's been higher than it's ever been before, right? This year we got our each year as school districts receive a tentative seek projection, which is all about um the funding that we get from the state, and it's an incredibly complex formula that involves local revenues and all these other things. Um and and the complexity is why so many um legislators and politicians attempt to simplify it in terms that are beyond simplification. However, that seek funding formula this year in Marion County, we saw a 300-year-old.

SPEAKER_06 38:39

Let me explain it back up slightly. And it not I mean, but for for me and and everybody else, explain exactly briefly what is SEC and how is it funded?

SPEAKER_01 38:48

So SEC is at the end of the day, a formula, and it is the way that the Commonwealth of Kentucky provides funding support to school districts. And it was developed in a way to create a level playing field for districts across the state. And so the state legislature each year will set its base of support, and I think this year it's around$4,700 per child per da, or yeah, per child in each district. Um, and so that's the number that the state is is looking to hit with the seek formula. The pieces are, I guess the I'm not a math person, um, but it's kind of algebra. You have a piece of that number, that overall base number that comes from the state, and then you have a piece of it that comes from the local effort. And so the local effort takes into account attendance and enrollment, it takes into account property values, and so the work that catfish does at the PBA office is critically important in that. And so when you have a district like Marion County that's property rich, because we have a what a wonderful base of valuable property here in the district, right? And so our local effort is really good. Um, what the Seek formula seeks to do is to create that level playing field with districts in eastern Kentucky whose tax base isn't as positive as ours. And so while their local effort in eastern Kentucky is lower, they get more support from the state level because of it. And so it just seeks to kind of balance things for everybody across the district so that that forty seven hundred dollar number is what everybody gets. But the way that they get there is a little bit different depending on what your community looks like.

SPEAKER_05 40:39

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

And so each year school districts get a tentative projection of what they'll get and seek funding from the state. And so we we kind of plug that number into our annual budget and make a lot of decisions based on what that number looks like for us. So this year we just got kind of those finalized projections. And for Marion County, we're gonna see a$352,000 reduction this year alone. So it's not projected, it's not um historic, it is reality of what we're seeing every day. And our district, again, it's fiscally sound, it's supported by an incredible tax base here. We are in a very positive situation.

SPEAKER_06 41:26

Which which is you get penalized for that, it sounds like.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

Yes. And so, you know, that$352,000 reduction, we can weather that storm because of where we are. But if that storm keeps coming year after year after year after year, we're gonna have to make some really hard choices here. And so those hard choices are the things that aren't being talked about when we talk about the reduction of the personal income tax, and we've got to spend more time having a discussion so that Kentuckians understand that yes, this half a percent reduction in personal income tax is gonna put an additional$400 in your pocket or whatever it is for that individual family. But is that$400 going to make up for what you lose on the other side of things? So, you know, as a one of the big things leading up to House Bill 500, and thankfully enough people responded and said, Hey, this is gonna hurt way too much. We have to make a change here. One of the pieces of of math, again, that I looked at, we look at a typical school bus driver who was going to see a$6,200 increase in their health care cost because of House Bill 500. Part of that, you know, increase in health care costs is, you know, you cannot have that discussion without saying, but we lowered the personal income tax rate, and that's revenue on the other side of things. So that school bus driver who was gonna see his cost go up by$6,200 in the year was gonna see$400 in his pocket from the personal income tax reduction. And so that math doesn't work. Uh, and and so that's the piece I think in this conversation that's been missing. And we've got to just be very transparent with Kentuckians to say, okay, we can continue down this path with the personal income tax rate, but we need you to understand the programs and the services and the benefits that either will go away that currently exist or will never become available because it's just not going to be there.

SPEAKER_06 43:29

I assume uh the rationale is, um, other than the folks in that party think that a tax cut cures all ills, cures cancer, will bring rain to the desert and everything else. Um they think, well, look at these other states doing it. Florida. Okay, we don't have Disney. And we don't have ten million gazillion miles of coast of coast. Um but I assume they're looking closer. Well, this would give us some um uh a competitive in improvement in our advantages against Tennessee and Indiana. But Tennessee has like twice our population. Am I right? I mean it's it's got a lot more people than we do. And you think it you start naming all the cities that it has, it's a lot more like I I've always kind of thought we're a lot like Tennessee, but not really.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

Yeah, we've we've got a lot of differences and and when you look at I mean I I recently spent a weekend with the women in my family down in Tennessee. And while they don't have I mean they've got it. Why can you keep it done on you know it it that's where the ladies went and so you came here for the tough questions. Mama needed to go.

SPEAKER_05 44:39

Understand. Got it. Got it.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

So um but they've got a 0% personal income tax rate for their citizens but the sales tax that I paid on lots of different things was significantly higher. And that makes a lot of sense when you do have a huge influx of visitors and Kentucky's got a lot of visitors. People are still flocking to the Bourbon trail and they're still coming to Churchill and Kingland and and doing lots of things. Exactly all the things um but is is that increase in a sales tax because again that's one of those things that would have to be on the table is an increase in the sales tax and moving and I've heard a lot of conversation about moving from the production tax to a consumption tax. Well you've got to understand that a higher sales tax is going to hit your citizens too not just going to be reserved for your visitors. And and again so we have to talk about trade-offs Kentuckians can get it. We we just have to be very open with them about what what it really means because it's really easy to say we're going to lower taxes and put money in your pocket and everybody's like woohoo let's do that.

SPEAKER_06 45:54

But we're taking it out of the other pocket.

SPEAKER_01 45:56

Right.

SPEAKER_06 45:56

I mean that bus driver you're talking about who's going to see an increase in his uh his or her healthcare burden um is also going to have to pay for services now. We didn't used to pay taxes on services. So when you get your grass cut you know all these things repair work net I mean I you know and of course the lower your income the higher the percentage of that income goes to purchasing the things you need to live and maybe a little bit extra every now and then. So I I don't know they've done a masterful job of selling it um but uh I don't get it.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

Yeah I again I think it's just having that that conversation to make sure that people are aware um and I I have found that when you are very communicative with people on the front end of a conversation um or an issue that the anger and the ire and the disgust on the back end is lessened quite a bit. And so we just need to again spend some time having real talk with Kentucky people about what lowering the personal income tax rate really means and what it looks like for them.

SPEAKER_06 47:04

Yeah. A lot of states um decrease the amount that they give to well a lot of things you know after the big 08 crash. Kentucky hasn't exactly built uh built back up to pre-08 levels is my understanding. And a lot of these states that you know from the outside and maybe true look like they're prospering much more than Kentucky is say North Carolina Virginia certainly California well they didn't get there by disinvesting in things like education and infrastructure and they did it with tax dollars. So I think that gets lost as well that okay if you think that we're just going to be able to coast on our good looks well I don't think that's probably the that's probably realistic. Right. You got to make those investments and where are you going to get the money to do that.

SPEAKER_01 47:52

So I tell my kids all the time you get what you pay for.

SPEAKER_06 47:54

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 47:55

And so if we want to see improvement in education then we've got to pay for it. If we want to see improvement in um workforce development then we have to pay for it. We have to make um things attractive we shouldn't put our our citizens in a position where they've got to work three jobs here in Marion County in order to afford a home. Like that's not okay. So you know if we want to see things get better unfortunately you got to pay for it.

SPEAKER_06 48:23

So yeah yeah that's right so um you also uh made the foolish decision to run as a Democrat uh in the state of Kentucky how do you see that you decided well um this hill's not steep enough um but I mean but I I I I I joke Kentucky's not um Mississippi in that regard uh we still tend to like our Democrats in statewide offices you know um and especially Marion County often is a blue dot um and and so I said that earlier that there are a lot of people running for this two on two on the Democrat side and like I don't know several dozen on the other side it seems like um so how do you look at that like what how does that Democrats do have a um um maybe a messaging problem in rural America. We do so how do you how do you see that challenge how do you plan to meet that challenge?

SPEAKER_01 49:20

Well first of all I'm a stubborn Gribbins from Bradfordsville and that has served me well my entire life so far so I'm just gonna keep on after it on that trend. But I I think I am striving to again talk to people about what I think and the type of person that I am and I believe that when we focus so much on the letters that come after our names then we are telling the voters you don't have to educate yourself. You don't have to learn anything about me you just look at that little letter on the end and that will tell you everything you need to know. And I think that's selling people short. I think people are uh eager to hear from someone who shares the values that they actually have right uh and so yes I'm a Democrat I've been a Democrat for as long as I've been alive probably uh my grandfather Carl that is one of the biggest lessons that he instilled in me is that if you don't stand up for what you believe in and go vote when it's time then shut your mouth don't say another word about how things are because you've given away your opportunity to speak about it. And um so I think when it comes to party affiliation and the messaging that we hear out of the the Democratic Party um I think people are are just tired of all of it really. That's the biggest thing that I hear in having conversations with people is that they are just over the noise. They want somebody who will cut through it and go to work and that's it. And I think that's one of the reasons that school board service has served me so well. It is a nonpartisan race and it should stay that way for all those listening out there it should stay that way it is important for people to be able to come together regardless of party to support education and our kids. Ideally the more local you are the less important the R or D Right right and so you know I think school board service gives you the opportunity to have collaborative conversations with people who may not agree with you from a party perspective but it is imperative that you come together that you work together that you find a common solution that you find something that everybody can get behind and that the Board of Education speaks with one voice and says this is the direction that we are going to go in as a district because this is what's best for kids. And so having that experience under my belt means that I get to go to Frankfurt and do exactly that and be like I don't care what letter your name what letter comes after your name I don't care what letter comes after mine. We got to get together because if we don't get together then it's not us who's gonna be in trouble. It's everybody else out there. And yeah so I think there's a lot of stuff going on um that people just don't have time for right now.

SPEAKER_06 52:26

Well it seems to me also one selling point is I think most everybody can agree one part of your role is a bad is a very bad idea very bad things.

SPEAKER_01 52:35

Even if you're on that side any party can go too far um I keep telling I keep telling people pendulums swing that's what they do. That's right. And they're gonna keep on doing it. And so for a time uh the pendulum in our state and in our country swung in in one direction in a really big way uh and I think what we're starting to see especially as people's pocketbooks continue to get just absolutely smothered every single day with gas prices and groceries and just lots of different things. I mean you talked about tax on services I volunteered for years with the Marion County Youth Soccer Association and when we had to start taxing soccer registrations it's like all right well we're just gonna eat it this first year so that um we can still make sure soccer is affordable for kids in this community. And so I think people are starting to see that those kitchen table issues that they're dealing with it's not a Democratic issue. It's not a Republican issue it's a Kentuckian issue it's an American issue and and so if we don't have solutions that are about finding the best path forward then none of the rest of that stuff really matters.

SPEAKER_06 53:55

And no party frankly has all the answers anyway now exactly all right well carry true um has this been tolerable I hope it's been it's been mildly tolerable. Mildly tolerable okay all right well listen honestly thank you so much for coming on um good luck to you I wish you the best um I don't think I could do what you're doing I think it's it's um you're sacrificing a lot and I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

So I tell people all the time if you can serve on a school board during a global pandemic you can do anything you want to do.

SPEAKER_06 54:28

I guess that's I reckon that's true all right well Kred thank you so much for coming on I really appreciate it. And uh this is James Braggins and you've been listening to Modley Amusing. We'll be right back.

SPEAKER_00 54:43

Not everyone needs a full-time or even part-time assistant sometimes you need help for a few hours for a week or once in a blue moon that's where I come in I'm your personal assistant for both creative and organizational support. Hi I'm Amy Osborne of Main Assist.

SPEAKER_06 55:00

Local, reliable and here when you need me we're back this is James Spraggins and it's been mildly amusing but I'm just gonna lay this out there. There's a lot going on in um uh uh the the parishes of St. Francis Holy Cross Holy Cross church is closing is that possible um that's the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies old granddad's buried in the cemetery I think uh I mean that just can't be but I understand it was announced uh in church um so we got you know just kind of a lot of things temperatures maybe slightly uh rising um in the St. Francis Holy Cross community and uh some of it maybe a lot of it having to do with um changes in this year's St. Francis picnic. But anyway so I just wanted to put out there if anybody I I've been trying to find someone who might like to come on and talk about it. Maybe even multiple people. So if you would be one of those interested people or know someone reach out to us on uh the mildly amusing Facebook page send us a message and um we'll talk and maybe you'd like to come on and and give us your point of view on it and help to educate us on what all the heck is going on there. Um anyway thank you all so much for listening and uh we hope you'll come back next week for another episode of Mildly Amusing