Foley appointed as judge-executive; admits tax voe will make election bid ‘difficult’

The political reality is that most of the time when a fiscal court passes a payroll tax, like Whitley County’s did last year, the fiscal court members that voted for the tax usually have a hard time getting re-elected.
Second-district Magistrate Burley Foley, who will officially take over as Whitley County Judge-Executive on Jan. 1, and who plans to seek the position on a more permanent basis during near year’s election, knows that his vote for the tax in June will make it difficult at the polls.
“My job is to make everybody understand why, and what we are going to do with it, and what it means to the future, and that is what I plan to do,” Foley said during a press conference Thursday afternoon announcing his appointment as judge-executive effective Jan. 1. “Hopefully, I can give everybody a good understanding of why there is a payroll tax, and give the true statistics about it, and give the true meaning of what it means to the county.
“That will take some time. Is it a popular thing? No. Absolutely not. I don’t like paying it, but I understand it because I have four children, and I want them here in this area. We have to make some improvements.”
Foley will be replacing Mike Patrick, who announced his plans to resign as judge-executive on Dec. 20 in order to seek a position with state government.
“It is with a great deal of humility and best wishes to say it to you Burley, and a lot of thanks,” Patrick said in announcing Foley’s appointment Thursday afternoon. “I look forward to working with you the next few days as we make this transition. I give you Burley Foley, the next judge-executive of Whitley County.”
Foley said he has accepted the job, and recognizes that it will be a challenge.
“I look forward to the challenge. Mike was fighting a good fight. As most of you know, we have had some financial woes. We’ve had many problems that all governments have, and not just ours. I’ll attack those in an aggressive and fair way,” Foley said.
“I’m excited about the challenge, but at the same time, I know it is a tall order. We will do the very best we can. We need the help from all the staff, and we feel like that it is going to happen.
“I know you all probably have one more question for me. Do I plan to seek the office of judge-executive? I do plan to, and I will file probably after the holidays.”
Foley currently works in transportation and logistics for National Services, and is a member of the Corbin Tourism Board and the Varsity Club.
Fletcher also appointed Corbin businessman James David Myers to fill out the remainder of Foley’s term as second-district magistrate, which expires Dec. 31, 2006.
“He is a very good person, and has a very good business mind. He will be a huge asset to us,” Foley noted.
Patrick noted that Myers had been recommended as Foley’s replacement.