Harper Interview: "Politicians are elected to serve the people."

Part two of my interview with Billy Harper, Republican gubernatorial candidate

As I mentioned in last night's post, I find Billy Harper to be a different sort of candidate. Republican, yes; typical Republican, no. He is very clear on every issue of importance to this state and is unafraid to plainly state his views. He doesn't dance around a question hoping to hit on the answer you hope to hear nor does he talk a lot -- he says what he needs to say and lets you draw your own conclusions.

It was in this manner that our discussion on Kentucky's AMT began. It seems to me that he and I are on the same page with regard to taxation. I complimented him on his willingness to start the ball rolling with a citizen's petition to end the AMT in this state. Mr. Harper is the only candidate that I've EVER seen who is campaigning and taking concrete steps to address the issues he cares about all at the same time. Most candidates are too busy campaigning to actually DO anything else. Not this man.

Our discussion about Kentucky's AMT was relatively short -- I understand its impact completely and see the need for it to be repealed. After all, why would any entrepreneur want to start a business in this state with our added AMT? Most small businesses fail within the first 2-5 years so for those 2-5 years, that small business would be saddled with a state level AMT while still in the red. What are the odds of success in that case?!

ConservaChick readers are very plugged in. They watch national and state events with an eye toward progress at both levels of government. With regard to what is happening in Frankfort this session, an anonymous commenter had a lot of information for all of us. Thanks to that commenter, I was able to review the bills related to reforming Kentucky's AMT prior to my conversation with Billy Harper.

I mentioned these bills to Mr. Harper -- HB 87, HB 88, and HB 119 -- and asked if he thought his campaign ads were the reason for the renewed interest from Frankfort in reforming the AMT. Intriguingly enough, he said, "I haven't read the bills yet but I will. I would love to see this unfair tax repealed. It hurts Kentucky. As long as it gets done, it doesn't matter to me who gets the credit."

Are you shocked? I was too! It's a rare, rare day when you hear ANYONE but especially someone running for political office say that he doesn't care who gets the credit! This man is focused on getting things done, things that really matter to the people of this state. That much is clear from his opinions, his drive, and his humility. If all politicians adopted his attitude, this state would be unstoppable on our way to prosperity and a better quality of life for all!

During our conversation, I complimented him on how helpful and communicative his campaign staff has been. Obviously this guy knows quality people when he meets them; he hires the right people, in my opinion. Billy Harper has been the most visible and the most accessible candidate in the Republican primary to-date. I asked if he would continue that accessibility if elected to the Governor's mansion this year.

Yet again, I was surprised by his response because it was not the typical political answer and, most importantly to me, it was the answer I would hope for from every elected official: "Politicians are elected to serve the people. We elect them and we expect them to remember who they were sent there to serve. Every elected official in Frankfort ought to be readily accessible." In short, yep, he intends to continue being visible and accessible if elected to serve as Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A bit of a difference from our current and past administrations, huh?

I don't think I can fully convey how impressed I was with the plain-spokeness and humility of Billy Harper. It seems much like this: If you or I wanted to be Governor, we'd probably express our opinions and our intentions as plainly. We might not be quite as polished as the folks who are career politicians. Our desire to lead, our desire to do what's right regardless of our political party, would all be very much like Mr. Harper's. He is passionate about this state and he is very clear on the need to do what's right for Kentucky as a whole.

It was apparent to me after spending 30-minutes with Mr. Harper that he is truly a fiscal Conservative who is community-minded and wants a better quality of life for all Kentuckians. For all his success in business, he's not much different than you or me. He cares about his family, his community, his state, and his country. All he wants to do is get the hard work done for the people of this state. After all, "politicians are elected to serve the people."