The Herald-Leader’s Larry Dale Keeling weighs in on “a tale of two state Senate vacancies” in a column this week and compares the post-election talk now and last year over open seats in the chamber.
Keeling reminds readers that Senate President David Williams called for then-Sen. Dan Mongiardo, now lieutenant governor, to resign from the chamber before this year’s legislative session began.
That move would have prompted a special election to fill Mongiardo’s seat in eastern Kentucky earlier than if Mongiardo waited until the inauguration to resign, which he did.
Keeling notes that Williams has been publicly silent so far about when Sen. Brett Guthrie, a Bowling Green Republican, should resign after his election last week as the state’s next 2nd District congressman, and Guthrie hasn’t been forthcoming about when he plans to turn over the seat.
Guthrie has said since his election that he will be talking to Williams about when to resign.
Earlier this year, Williams said he was actually expecting to fill two seats in the Senate following the 2nd District election that pitted Guthrie against fellow state Sen. David Boswell, a Sorgho Democrat.
Williams predicted a Guthrie win and a Boswell retirement following the Nov. 4 election.
Boswell has been in state government for nearly 30 years, including a stint as state agriculture commissioner, and Williams said Boswell could earn a higher pension if he retires before the end of the year when pension system changes go into effect.
Boswell was elected to a fifth term in the Senate in 2006 and did not face opposition.
“I believe David Boswell will retire because he has his years in,” Williams said during an interview in early October.
Williams said then that when a special election is called wouldn’t be as important for this legislative session, which is a 30-working-day “short” session.
“We’ll have plenty of time for an election, or two elections,” Williams said then.
After his loss Nov. 4, Boswell said little about his plans for the future, saying only that he planned “go home and rest a bit.”
Boswell was able to devote himself full time to the campaign this summer and fall after his employer, the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, closed June 9.
“We’ve got two years left on the term and obviously we’ll analyze that,” Boswell said on Election Night.
Trey Pollard with PolitickerKY.com has also taken a look at Guthrie’s seat and what might happen.
And in an unrelated resignation, Barack Obama has announced that he will be resigning his seat in the U.S. Senate effective Sunday, according to the Washington Post.
Filed under: Kentucky government, Kentucky politics | Tagged: Brett Guthrie, David Boswell, David Williams
