Tag: Clerk

David Ermold returned to the Rowan County courthouse Wednesday, nearly two years after Clerk Kim Davis refused to give him a marriage license because he was gay. This time he's seeking Davis' job. David Ermold, the English teacher whose bid to capture the office won national attention, failed to survive a four-person Democratic primary, while Davis, who refused Ermold and his partner a marriage license in 2015 while citing “God’s authority,” had no opposition as a Republican. “David Ermold never had local support and had no clue what the clerk does on a daily basis.” Davis said in an interview at her office Wednesday morning that “the people have spoken, and they have spoken loudly.” She said their message is they wanted the election to be about who would make the best clerk. Morehead Mayor Jim Tom Trent said Ermold lost only because he ran against a better-known and more experienced politician who sought the same office four years ago — and came within 23 votes of defeating Davis in that primary. “They have no more clue what Americans want than David Ermold has about running the clerk’s office,” he said. But Republicans who support Davis are just as eager to cast their ballots for her in the fall. As she sat in the Coffee Tree Books/Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop, where Ermold announced his campaign, she said she supports Davis “100 percent, because I am a Christian, too.” Morehead City Councilman Tom Carew said that Ermold worked hard — and his message resonated in Morehead, one of Kentucky’s first cities to adopt a fairness ordinance. Several Rowan County voters, like retired accountant Steve Schafer, 77, who was enjoying a drink at the Fuzzy Duck, said they just want the controversy to go away. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/andreww

David Ermold returned to the Rowan County courthouse Wednesday, nearly two years after Clerk Kim Davis refused to give him a marriage license because he was gay. This time he's seeking Davis' job. It was about local politics and a seasoned candidate who defeated one who was lesser known. David Ermold, the English teacher whose bid to capture the office won national attention, failed to survive a four-person Democratic primary, while Davis, who refused Ermold and his partner a marriage license in 2015 while citing “God’s authority,” had no opposition as a Republican. Morehead Mayor Jim Tom Trent said Ermold lost only because he ran against a better-known and more experienced politician who sought the same office four years ago — and came within 23 votes of defeating Davis in that primary. Trent said Caudill was an overwhelming favorite and the “fact that David received nearly 1,000 votes in an Eastern Kentucky town running as an openly gay man says a lot about where our community has come from since the controversy a few years ago. “They have no more clue what Americans want than David Ermold has about running the clerk’s office,” he said. But Republicans who support Davis are just as eager to cast their ballots for her in the fall. As she sat in the Coffee Tree Books/Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop, where Ermold announced his campaign, she said she supports Davis “100 percent, because I am a Christian, too.” Morehead City Councilman Tom Carew said that Ermold worked hard — and his message resonated in Morehead, one of Kentucky’s first cities to adopt a fairness ordinance. More: Gay man loses bid to challenge Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who denied same-sex marriages More: Amy Schumer, Susan Sarandon give cash to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis' would-be opponent Follow Andrew Wolfson on Twitter: @adwolfson

The board is considering a referendum in November to eliminate those elected offices, currently held by Democrats — Treasurer Richard Shelton and Commissioner of the Revenue Helen Royal. If the two elected jobs are removed, the county would likely shift those job functions to an appointed director of finance. “It’s notable that he’s [Tuck] not suggesting that we do away with any of the Republican-held constitutional offices.” In recent years, however, county board members and Shelton have clashed over such issues as personal property tax proration, the county’s interest rate on financial reserves and uncollected back taxes. Additionally, both Shelton and Royal — elected for their most recent four-year terms in 2015 — have said they do not plan to run for re-election, which was a factor in the county discussing the option. Royal’s office employs 14 and operates on a budget of $983,307. The county and state — via the State Compensation Board, a Richmond-based state government agency that sets funding based on local population — each fund the commissioner of the revenue’s office, with the county paying the majority of the budget. In Virginia, most localities elect the constitutional office positions — treasurer, commissioner of the revenue, circuit court clerk, commonwealth’s attorney and sheriff. Montgomery County records show that banking services were most recently put out to bid in late 2013. Setting the stage Roanoke County voters during the early 1970s eliminated the two constitutional offices, only to bring them back later in the decade. Another dispute Montgomery County’s treasurer and commissioner of the revenue aren’t the first constitutional officers to have had disputes with the supervisors in recent years.