This letter has been running in Nicholas and Harrison Counties and receiving good reviews: Friends in Nicholas and Harrison County stop and think before voting in the District Judge's race-then vote to keep Judge Kuster

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY FRIENDS AND ALL CITIZENS OF PENDLETON AND HARRISON AND NICHOLAS COUNTIES Twenty four years ago, I chose Carlisle to open my law office. For the past 24 years I have practiced law in Nicholas, Bourbon, Robertson, Pendleton and Harrison Counties. I have handled literally hundreds of cases (probably thousands) during that time in every court in Nicholas County. Few if any lawyers have tried as many cases as I have during that period. In those 24 years I have not once asked for a vote for myself or on behalf of someone else. BUT THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT AND HERE’S WHY First, I have known Judge Bill Kuster for many years and observed his practice in every court in this district including, for example, a stint as assistance Commonwealth Attorney in Nicholas County. There is no doubt that Judge Kuster has the experience and temperament to make a good Judge and he has proven that FACT while serving on the bench this year. Secondly, however, I am deeply concerned about the alternative to Judge Kuster. Many folks are aware of Mr. Newberry’s donations of money to local organizations and that is commendable that he has the financial ability to do those things. I’ll leave it others or just your common sense to make any judgment you to care to make of his motives. Of course, when it comes to motivations of others, Mr. Newberry has anointed himself as the person qualified to question the motivations of others and to attack others as being a part of some undefined “good ole boy” network without identifying who or on what basis he makes these claims. On the other hand, if someone raises sincere and legitimate questions about his total lack of experience or any other issue with his record, it draws this hue and cry and whining that he has been mistreated somehow. Poor Peter. And so we endure more of the ‘same ol’ ‘same ol’ from Mr. Newberry such as a page advertisement in last week’s Cynthiana Democrat that may or may not run in this paper as well, wherein Mr. Newberry seeks once again to portray himself as an innocent victim of attacks and lies which he says are made by “forces” he refuses to name; all in order to engender false sympathy for him while he engages in his own attacks on everyone else in the so-called system. There is a word for that kind of stuff: it is called rabble-rousing. It is an old worn out political trick…. Try to get the masses angry over something to achieve a political gain. Mr. Newberry has learned that technique well as you can see from his advertising, and rabble-rousing works very well. FOR A WHILE. Until people realize they are being used. And then it nearly always backfires. This is the first time I have ever expressed an opinion in a local political race of this sort. And I do it for a reason. I am not a close friend of Judge Kuster, have no idea where he lives, never been to his house and have never had dinner with him and frankly I think he and I are on opposite sides of the political fence. No good ole boy network with me, Mr. Newberry! The reason I am offended by Mr. Newberry’s campaign and why I believe we should all be offended by his tactics is that he is attacking a whole lot of good people that have given in some cases their entire lifetime trying to make things better in their community. His attacks are not really an attack on Judge Kuster because Judge Kuster has only been judge a short period of time. It is an attack as he puts it on a “good old boys club” and who, pray tell, is it that Mr. Newberry sees as a part of this good ole boy’s club: Perhaps Nicholas County Attorney Dawn Letcher, Family Court Judge Barbara Paul. Or perhaps others who have been the mainstay of the court system for many years like John Swinford, Doug Wright, Jack Keith and others who have given their whole lives trying to serve their community. I am sorry, my friends, but I believe Mr. Newberry’s tactics are distasteful and out of order and that he should be ashamed of himself. This is a guy who has NEVER practiced one day in the Nicholas County courts but yet has appointed himself to attack everyone else, from the safe confines of the Peanut Gallery. Could the court system be better: YES. Are there things that need improvement; ABSOLUTELY. But for some self anointed fellow who has never spent one day in the Nicholas County courtroom to try to set himself up as the guardian of all that is good and the watchdog of everyone else is absolutely absurd. Fact is it is a JOKE. Just like the full page sour grapes advertisement he ran after he got beat in the Family Court race a couple of years ago when he ran against Donnie Bromagen, Ray Bogucki and Barbara Paul and lodged all kinds of ridiculous complaints about his signs disappearing and all sorts of laughable absurdities. There was no evidence that any of those people were bothering his signs, but rumor was that people who had his signs in his yard became embarrassed to have them and started picking them up. I wouldn’t be surprised to see folks here picking them up and getting rid of them too. Another JOKE. When in Carlisle, Mr. Newberry is a Nicholas County lawyer, but his ads in Falmouth say he is a Pendleton County lawyer. Again as best anyone can find out he has never had one day in the Nicholas County Courts. It would be like me calling myself a Nicholas County farmer and trying to tell Nicholas County farmers how to run their farm because I have an office in Carlisle and raised three hot peppers on my patio. It would be a JOKE. My friends, let’s don’t let the joke get put on us. Let’s keep Judge Kuster.

Comments

[DEANNA MARSHALL-HENDERSON]

OH JIMMY, YOU SO HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THIS ONE.....KEEP BILL KUSTER, IF NOT THEN I TO BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY WILL REGRET VOTING IN A "STRANGER" FOR JUDGE...WELL, THATS JUST MY OPINION ON IT!