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UofC student files to challenge Bunch in State Representative race
Posted On 18 Nov 2015
Alex Patrick
A lot of college students complain about what is wrong with the system, but short of staging a rally or ranting about it on social media they don’t try to do much about it.
24-year-old Alex Patrick, who is a student at the University of the Cumberlands majoring in criminal justice, is an exception. Patrick said he is putting his name on an upcoming ballot in the 82nd District Representative race because he sees a lot of changes that he thinks need to be made.
"The way we are going now, we have a problem. On the national level and on the state level as well they are saying, ‘We are going to fix it. We are going to fix it,’ but the way I am seeing it, nothing is being fixed," Patrick noted.
"I feel I have a personal obligation that I need to go do something and that is exactly what I plan on doing."
Patrick filed paperwork with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office on Nov. 10 seeking the seat in the Kentucky General Assembly that is currently occupied by incumbent Regina Bunch, who has announced that she plans to run again for re-election.
The 82nd District is comprised of all of Whitley County and a small portion of southern Laurel County.
Patrick added that he is not running to oppose any one particular candidate but is running for the office itself.
"That office has no deed to it," Patrick noted. "The people decide. It is an office of the people and it is for the people. It is to be represented by who the people want. I am in it because I have good ideas. I think I could get that office and do a good job at it."
Election platform
Patrick’s election platform includes several key issues, including: passing a law to create term limits for state offices, passage of right to work legislation, ending prevailing wage and an overhaul of the current drug penal code.
More times that not, when people are elected to a state office that takes them Frankfort one of their first priorities is trying to figure out how they can keep going back to Frankfort to improve their retirement, Patrick noted.
"We need term limits because the political system is not meant for someone to stay up there for 20 years or 30 years or in my opinion not even 10 years," Patrick noted.
"It is not meant to be a place to get retired from. It is public service to the people not a job. That is one of the main problems that I see. We have career politicians and I don’t want to be a career politician.
"I want to go up there and do the job, take a stance on hard issues and do what I think needs to be done to improve our state."
Patrick said he thinks George Washington, our first president, had it right when he said that eight years in public office was long enough.
Patrick said he thinks politicians should be limited to eight years in state office.
Regardless of whether he is successful in getting a term limits bill passed, Patrick said he would still only serve eight years in office.
Addressing drug problem
Patrick said nearly everyone in Whitley County has been touched in some way by someone close to them, who has a drug problem.
Patrick said a lot of the problem goes back to the 2009 penal code reform bill that was designed to save the state money by reducing the state prison population.
It requires probation for many drug offenders and was projected to save the state over $400 million annually, but Patrick said the savings haven’t been nearly that large.
Patrick said his biggest problem with this law is it is taking the power out of the judge’s hands and placing it into a law book instead.
"We have police officers going out and arresting these people on drug crimes but it seems to me nothing gets done," Patrick said.
"I worked at the detention center for a few years and you have someone arrested on a drug offense, who gets kicked back out to probation and parole."
Patrick doesn’t specifically have a proposal to address the drug issue, but thinks the penal code needs to be completely overhauled.
"I’m not going to comment more on that until I talk to more people about what exactly we need to do to overhaul that," he noted.
Patrick said he wants to see right to work legislation passed after seeing how surrounding states are doing that have right to work laws, such as Indiana and Tennessee.
"Everybody is afraid to take action on it because it is a hot button issue. Essentially, right to work gives the people the option of whether to sign a union contract or not," he said.
"I think that just gives us the opportunity to bring in more jobs instead of shipping them out of state."
Patrick said the prevailing wage law was passed during the Great Depression to ensure government building projects would be staffed with a minimum number of people, who would be paid a minimum amount of money, but has morphed into something that is significantly driving up building costs for government projects.
"Kentucky tried to get rid of it several times," he added. "I understand a lot of people aren’t going to be happy with the issues that I have, but if we want Kentucky to grow then prevailing wage has to go."
Patrick said he thinks eliminating prevailing wage laws would enable smaller local businesses to be able to bid on more government jobs.
"I think in 2006 they did a study under the (Ernie) Fletcher administration that if we didn’t have prevailing wage the state would save 22 percent on building projects," he added.
Patrick said that if he doesn’t submit legislation to address these issues then he would not run for office again.
Background
Patrick is slated to graduate college in May with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and plans to pursue a career in law enforcement. Currently, he works part-time at Damar Gymnastics and part-time on a farm.
He has also served in the Kentucky National Guard for the past six years.
Patrick comes from a political family. His grandfather, Elvin Patrick, served as Whitley County Sheriff in the 1950s and was killed in the line of duty.
He father, Elmer Patrick, served as state representative in the early 1980s.
So how does Patrick’s political linage impact the race?
"I am proud of my dad and what he did," Patrick said. "As far as policy issues, it could help me. As long as you have politicians in your family, you also have baggage, but he was the national legislator of the year so he couldn’t have been that bad."
Patrick said he likes his chances of winning.
"I think with the direction of how things are going nationally it is time for fresh ideas. The old system has failed. Look where it got us," Patrick noted.
"Out national debt is higher than it has ever been. It is going to be hard to come back from that. The only way to come back from that is to have someone with new ideas."
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Alex don’t worry about lack of money to battle the “political machine” I would be more concerned about only 26% of registered voters take the time to vote. I would spend my time shaking hands at local places Huddle House, IGA, Krystals and yes even Walmart. Get your name known and you’ll give Regina Bunch a run for the money. You will be fine, you already proved you are a hard worker. You have my vote.
Alex, is serving our country and the State of Kentucky, as a Kentucky National Guard the past six years. “Theodore Roosevelt” said It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Alex, I understand man you don’t have the money it will take to beat the political machine.
I also understand we have had such a great State Representative the last several years. I understand all the years serving she has presented only one bill before the State Senate for a road to be named. I would say this is about as good as it gets only one bill and if you want to really known how great she has been just ask her. Alex, we don’t somebody to stand up for us just somebody who knows how to play the game of politics and vote as they are told.
A long line of elected officials think they are entitled to more than a good salary, retirement and benefits at the public’s expense.
Being a state legislator simply isn’t good enough for such people. The fact that they’re treated like royalty by the masses (honored at public gatherings, applauded, allowed private meetings with corporate CEOs, bankers, etc.) isn’t enough.
I wonder if any of these people ever tried to personally place a telephone call to a government agency to get help like a regular person, without the assistance of an aide or their official title to get special treatment. Have they even tried to find a telephone number that connects them directly to some government employee who can answer a question?
Of course, they wouldn’t stoop to wasting their time on such matters. They have more important things to do.
Remember: State Rep. Regina Bunch, R-Williamsburg, was cited shortly after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday by Lexington police for traveling 109 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone on I-75 near the 108-mile marker.
Bunch, who represents the 82nd House District of Whitley and part of Laurel County, said in a telephone interview that she did not think she was going that fast “because I was traveling with the traffic.”
“I try to live by the letter of the law and I know I wasn’t going that fast,” said Bunch, who plans to contest the ticket in court on July 1.
It was the Police out to get her. Most of us normal people have to live by the letter of the law not just try.
Jackson eventually pleaded guilty to a felony in connection
For any other questions or concerns contact me at:
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I simply believe that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join, nor to pay dues to a labor union. I do not agree that a person should receive benifits that they have not payed for.
Alex is a good candidate, however needs to look into Right to Work with a little more detail. I will vote for him but wish he would change his attitude on this law. I am in a union right now, if this law is passed some people will choose not to pay their dues. Ok thats fine but under the current law they are proposing the non paying people are still granted the same union protection and seniority benefits. Okay Alex I ask you can you re do this bill to make it fair??? I dont think me paying for free loading members is fair. Good Luck Alex
Alex will have my vote. I like that he’s willing to take a stand and try to improve the way things are handled. Sometimes politicians promise things that are popular just to get voted into office but once there renege on their campaign promises. I don’t think Alex will do that. He has my support, how about supporting him also?