2023 gubernatorial candidate speaks at Corbin Rotary Club

Mike Harmon is looking to take his 13 years of experience in the General Assembly and six years as Kentucky State Auditor to the governor’s mansion.

The Republican from Boyle County, who has announced his candidacy for governor in 2023, was in Corbin recently to speak at the weekly meeting of the Corbin Rotary Club.

“I’m a Christian and a husband and a father and a grandfather. I want my kids and grandkids to live in a state where they believe that they can accomplish anything,” Harmon said when asked why he wants to be governor during in an interview after the meeting.

“Currently, we have focused so much on fear over freedom. I think it is important to focus on freedom over fear,” Harmon said.

With Kentucky divided politically and ideologically like the rest of the country, Harmon said the governor must find ways to unite the people of the Commonwealth.

As governor, Harmon said he will work to bring Kentucky’s tax system more in line with Tennessee, Texas and Florida.

“We have to move away from income tax to a consumption type tax,” Harmon said.

“We have seen in every state that that has increased businesses.”

In addition, Harmon said state officials must take steps to encourage Kentuckians to return to work.

While he does not want to just cut off unemployment benefits, Harmon said steps could be taken to incentive people to not face the choice of keeping their government benefits or returning to work.

“So many people feel trapped because if they start back to work, they lose benefits, or if they work too much, they lose benefits or the benefits cost them so much more,” Harmon said. “We have to find a way to slowly, gradually get them back into employment while maintaining at least a portion of the benefits. Maybe start paying some premiums when you hit a certain point and eventually phase it out.”

One issue that will be in the spotlight again in 2022 and 2023 is that local offices are on the ballot next year, while the statewide offices are not up until 2023, necessitating a separate election.

While it would take action by the General Assembly and a vote on an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution by the voters, Harmon said, if elected governor, he would be willing to see the issue addressed even if it meant running for re-election in 2026 as opposed to 2027.

In speaking to the Rotary Club, Harmon discussed the work of the auditor’s office, particularly through the COVID–19 pandemic.

“Our office stayed very busy during the pandemic,” Harmon said. “We went to almost all telework. Thankfully we were set up to do that.”

Harmon thanked county workers from across the state, who worked with employees at the auditor’s office as they continued their work.

“We couldn’t have done it without the county workers,” Harmon said.

Harmon said the auditor’s office became the go-to source for local government offices seeking guidance on proper use of federal funds they received through the COVID–19 CARES Act.

Counties or cities that expend more than $750,000 in federal funds in a given year have to receive a single audit.

“A lot of counties have never dealt with that,” Harmon noted.

In addition, Harmon said his office has created online data bulletins in an effort to distill audit information derived from local government audits down to where ordinary citizens may understand it.

Harmon noted that the City of Corbin received approximately $684,000 in CARES Act funding that was spent on payroll and for the public health and safety of employees.

Whitley County received $1.65 million with the vast majority being used for the public health and safety of employees.

The entire data bulletin is available online at auditor.ky.gov.

Harmon said residents may also go to the site to leave tips about potential waste, fraud or abuse.

Finally Harmon noted that his office has continued to shine sunlight on potential waste, fraud and abuse, citing several instances where that sunlight has led to criminal charges.

In June, the Lawrence County Attorney was indicted on charges of wire fraud for paying out $135,500 in bonuses to his employees, including $126,000 to his wife.

In addition, the statewide single audit of Kentucky released earlier this year showed 25 findings, half of them involving the Office of Unemployment Insurance.

The most far reaching was more than 400,000 emails sent to the unemployment assistance line that were archived without being read.

“That kind of broke my heart,” Harmon said.

Other findings included unemployment workers applying for, and in some cases, receiving unemployment benefits while continuing to be employed by the state.

“The pandemic did not slow the work at our office,” Harmon said.