HAZARD – While no incumbent seeking re-election attended, several candidates for seats on the Perry County Fiscal Court were front and center at a sparsely attended forum last week in Hazard.

Organized by Sam Neace, a Democratic candidate for county judge-executive, the forum allowed each candidate 10 minutes to address the crowd and later take questions from the audience.

Five candidates seeking the District 1 magistrate’s seat attended the forum. Randall “Tank” Roberts took the podium first, saying if elected he plans to address his district’s needs for better roads and water access. Roberts said there are some in his district who feel they have been bypassed in regard to city water projects, and there is a need to back up and play catch-up in those areas.

“Laurel Mountain Road. [There are] 90 people in that hollow; city water lines run through and kept on going,” he said. “That’s 90 people very disappointed when they did not get city water into their homes.”

Roberts also noted the need for new jobs in the county, and suggested the need to attract new companies, especially after the loss of several jobs when Trus Joist closed recently.

“We need good jobs in Perry County,” he said. “And this is the only way we’re going to do it, is if we get out and we actively recruit these companies to come into Perry County.”

Republican Steve Argonis was the second and final Republican from District 1 to introduce himself to the crowd. Argonis, a former firefighter with the Hazard Fire Department who currently volunteers at Lost Creek, said the most important part of being elected to public office is listening to the needs of the people and offer representation to the taxpayers. He said he wants to bring meetings to the community and allow community members to have a forum where they can let their elected officials know what problems exist.

“This will be a good opportunity and a regular opportunity to let their government know what’s going on,” he said. “In return, as a magistrate, I can turn and let you know what’s going on in the fiscal court.”

Argonis also said he thinks Perry County would be better served with an additional magistrate on the fiscal court that would prevent the court from becoming deadlocked in a tie vote. At present, the fiscal court is made up of three magistrates and the county judge-executive, each of whom have a vote.

“I think having four votes like that would result in a tie entirely too often,” Argonis said.

Ultimately, he continued, the people of Perry County need to have their voice heard, and not just during an election year. The taxpayers shouldn’t have to feel as if they’re being neglected or left out, he said.

“I think we need to address that and we need to make sure everybody has their voices heard,” he said.

Keith Miller was the first Democrat to take the stage. Miller spoke briefly, also noting the county’s need for jobs, saying if elected he will work to do everything he can to help bring jobs to local residents.

Miller also made note of his district’s roads, but cautioned that he would have to determine how much money the county will have to put toward road improvements before he could definitively say how much work could be completed. But he did add that he would work to ensure his district gets a “fair share” of funds.

“I will do my best to make sure everybody got their fair share of blacktop, gravel, whatever it took to make life easier – water, sewer, whatever,” he said.

Jerry Wayne Stacy, a current member of the Perry County Board of Education, took the stage next, outlining his plans for District 1 if elected.

Stacy also noted the county’s need to maintain its road system, saying that ensuring the county’s money is spent wisely is also an important part of a magistrate’s job.

“There are a lot of things ... that we’ve got to look at,” he said. “Of course we do have to look at our budget and we do have to be smart about those sorts of things.”

Stacy took a moment to encourage everyone to fill out and return their census forms as well.

“I will encourage everybody to fill out their census papers,” he said. “It’s so vital to the fiscal court and what we’ll be able to do over the next four years, regardless of who wins any of these offices.”

Stacy declined to make any large campaign promises such as new roads or waterlines, but did say he will be a working magistrate.

“The only promise I’ll make is I’ll be out every single day, and I’ll work just as hard as I possibly can for the people in District 1,” he said.

The final Democrat to address the crowd was Dexter Howard, a local businessman who said he has a proven record of helping people for the past 40 years.

“Wherever people need me to go, they call and I’ve been there to help them,” he said. “I’ve proved (sic) to people that I will help them if I’m needed. If I’m elected magistrate, I won’t promise the people the moon and stars, because I can’t touch them myself.”

But Howard did note that he will be willing to take suggestions from the community and bring those issues before the fiscal court until there is a resolution.

Howard, who operates the local flea market, also noted that he will continue to operate the flea market on weekends, but he won’t be hard to find during those days.

“I’m not going to close my flea market down, but I will give you five good, hard honest days work, and that’s what I’ll be paid for,” he said. “On the weekend, you’ll see me at my flea market, which will be good for me because I’ll be easy to get up with.”

The candidates for District 2 magistrate took the stage next, with Democrats John Begley and Douglas Bryant.

Begley spoke first, explaining why he believes the coal industry is currently under attack from the lack of permits coming from Frankfort and Washington.

“Our coal industry is vital because every part of our county suffers when we lose jobs,” he said. “Our schools suffer, our roads have more holes, we can’t expand sewer systems, we can’t take care of our water system, everything suffers.”

Begley said while the county needs to continue to fight for the coal industry, officials also have to openly recruit other industries that provide jobs to allow the next generation of workers a chance to make a living in Perry County.

Begley also noted that a magistrate’s job is to make sure roads are maintained, but while he can’t promise what roads will receive new blacktop, he can help to ensure the county roads in his district are properly maintained.

Douglas Bryant was the final candidate in District 2 to take the stage. Bryant, who works in the Laurel County school district and serves as a preacher in Perry County, said he is not running against his opponents, but rather for the people of District 2.

Bryant also made note of the importance of coal mining to Perry County, saying coal severance dollars play an important role in funding local projects, but more money needs to be coming back to the coal producing counties.

“The whole intent was for [coal severance funds] to come back to coal producing counties to fix the roads that were mainly caused by the coal industry, and fixing water, and that’s not what has happened,” he said. “It’s went to the state, and the state keeps more of it than they really should. It should all come back to us.”

The final candidate to take the stage, and the only person in attendance on the May ballot for county judge, was Sam Neace.

Neace is perhaps best known as a radio personality on WKCB where he hosts a rock program every Saturday evening. A cancer survivor, Neace also made headlines across the state last fall during his 500-mile walk to Chicago which helped raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

Neace outlined what he believes to the be the basic responsibilities of a county judge, including what he called compassion, an open channel of communication to the judge’s office, honesty and proper maintenance of the county’s roads.

“If a judge can do those things, I think that he will have the people’s support for as long as he wants it,” Neace said.

Neace said the people do not want a county judge who will play politics with the office.

“When I’m elected judge-executive, I can assure you judge-executive is all I’m going to attempt to be,” he said. “I’m not going to try to be judge-executive/sheriff/jailer/janitor. It’s not about me trying to be a control freak and trying to puppet string every office in county government. It’s about me being the county judge-executive, period.”

Neace said if elected his position in the courthouse will be to work with the county’s elected officials and figure out what funds are needed for budgets to help serve the people of Perry County.

Neace also addressed water issues as well, saying he thinks a water plant needs to be installed in the Buckhorn area for that part of the county, rather than those people getting their water from the plant in Hazard.

“I find it ironic that a town sitting on the largest body of water in the county went without water through Christmas and well into the new year,” he said. “We can no longer add new customers to a system that is overloaded and outdated.”

Neace called for an update to the water system, which he said would help with recruiting new industry into Perry County.

“We can’t bring new industries into a place that doesn’t have a sufficient amount of water to sustain them,” he said.

Neace said he believes employment is the most important issue Perry County will face, noting the coal industry as being the main source of jobs.

“When they’re talking about the economic damage that would come from a collapse of the coal industry, they’re talking about our economy right here in Perry County,” he said. “It’s our economy that will be devastated.”

Neace said the county also needs to look beyond coal, including more jobs in the technology field which in turn could retain many of the people who may leave the county for employment elsewhere.

“Young people these days, they want to pursue a career in technology,” he said. “The way things stand right now, a young person who goes off to college [for a degree in the technology field], that person has no choice but to leave Perry County. There’s nothing here for them.”

Neace also noted tourism as a potential boon to Perry County, saying the county can have a very successful tourism industry, but officials have to begin with the first step – cleaning up the county.

“The first step, if you want a tourism industry in Perry County, is cleaning up the trash on the side of the roads,” he said. “Tourists are not going to come here if it looks like a dump.”

Neace said if the roads are clean and the right people are put into place to promote the county’s attractions, the tourism industry can be very successful year after year.

The primary election in Perry County is set for May 18.