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Lucas Deaton and Kimberly Poore Moser will face off on Election Day in Kentucky’s 64th House District race.

Rep. Thomas Kerr’s retirement from the 64th House District earlier this year leaving the seat open this election. The district encompasses areas primarily south of Interstate 275 in Independence and Taylor Mill in Kenton County. Portions of the district include southern Campbell County around the Licking River south of the AA Highway in Wilder and Cold Spring.

Meet the candidates

Democrat Lucas Deaton, 31, serves on Independence City Council. He was elected to office in 2014. He started his own private law practice in 2015 in Independence, providing free legal counsel to a nonprofit group 22 Until Valhalla. It is dedicated to raising awareness of military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Deaton previously worked as a pretrial officer for the state.

Deaton is a graduate of Valparaiso School of Law and has a bachelor of arts from Georgetown College in Kentucky.

Deaton is active in his family’s church, is a member of the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky and serves on the Democratic Executive Committee of Kenton County.

“I am running for office because in all the jobs and volunteer work I do, I run across people just like myself that work hard every day and yet they are barely able to make a living,” Deaton said. “These people don’t ask for a handout but they do want someone who knows where they come from.”

Republican Kimberly Poore Moser, 53, of Taylor Mill, serves as director of the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. This is her first time seeking political office. She was asked to run by Kerr.

Moser brings experience in the fight against heroin. She has served on Kentucky Physicians PAC, the coordinating council of the Northern KY Heroin Impact Response Task Force as legislative liaison for the past two years, and helped write the legislation created to combat the heroin epidemic during the 2015 legislative session.

Moser, who graduated from Spaulding University with a bachelor of science in nursing, has 14 years of experience as a registered nurse in neonatal intensive care units and as a flight nurse for the University of Kentucky Neonatal Transport Team. In addition, she has served as a medical consultant during construction of Children’s Hospital ICU towers, among other construction projects.

She is running, she said, because she “cares deeply about our community.”

“Political office is not something I have necessarily aspired to,” Moser said. “I’ve always worked behind the scenes and step up when I am asked to. I am extremely solution oriented and a problem-solver. I see a need for a strong, common sense and conservative voice to represent the 64th District. I am passionate about community involvement and service, and will take this job seriously.”

State budget

Kentucky’s state budget should always be balanced and it’s time the state “gets its house in order,” Deaton said. “This will not include more taxes on the people of the state.”

According to Deaton, the main issues a representative needs to work on include bringing higher paying jobs to the area, ensuring pensions people have are protected and that the state budget is balanced.

“We must start now to put a plan in place that makes the necessary changes to have the pension shortfall dealt with within a few years,” Deaton said. “Nothing is off the table to fix the pensions and a definitive deadline for them to be placed must be settled.”

According to Moser, it is important to keep the promises that have been made to those who’ve paid into the pension system. However, they need to take a “realistic look” at those coming into the system and move forward with a sustainable plan.

Moser said when it comes to budgeting, the state needs to “learn to live within our means and keep spending under control.”

“I am research and data-driven,” she said. “We need to audit and measure progress of those programs and projects that receive state funding. I absolutely support outcome-based funding.”

Moser said it’s also important to grow the economy and improve the state’s ability to create and maintain jobs.

“We need to improve our work force development,” she said. “We currently rank 46th among all states in work force development. We need to understand the reasons for this and work together to improve educational opportunities, including trade skills. We must become a more business-friendly state. As a fiscal conservative, it is important for me to investigate and understand why jobs leave our state and businesses move out or won’t locate in Kentucky in the first place.”

Ky. 536

As far as Ky. 536, “it makes sense to complete this road,” Moser said. “This project will help improve traffic safety and flow and should be completed as promised.”

Moser said it is important to invite everyone to the table for discussion regarding Phase II, especially property owners. As far as a potential cross-county bypass, she said, it is important to plan well if this is to happen. “The opportunity for much-needed economic development to accompany our population growth in the 64th District is a natural byproduct of this expansion, however citizens affected by this proposition should have optimal input early in the process … to plan well, to ensure that costs are contained and that zoning is carefully thought out.”

Planing for Ky. 536 has been going on for 40 years, Deaton said.

“Make a road that is safe to make travel easier and sticking with one plan is key,” he said. “Uncertainty is what keeps people up at night. A person can’t try and plan their life if the state keeps telling them various possibilities.

Heroin epidemic

Another area of major concern for voters and those running for office is the heroin epidemic.

There’s not just one fix to the heroin problem, according to Moser.

“Many tools are necessary, she said. “This is a public health crisis that must be fought on multiple levels. This is devastating families and overburdening our health-care system, first responders and our judicial system. Streamlining services saves money and lives. We need a subject matter expert in Frankfort. I am that person. My health-care background will lend itself well to this issue and all of the health-care issues that the legislature is asked to deal with each year.”

Moser actively works with local law enforcement agencies in getting the additional resources they need. She was instrumental in the recent inclusion of Northern Kentucky in the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). This has been applied for several times over the last few years and was finally accepted with this last application.

She’s in favor of stiffer penalties for those caught trafficking, but she also wants to see those suffering from addiction get the treatment they need.

Having worked with inmates, children and families, Deaton said he’s had more than his share of encounters with heroin users. He’s also lost friends and classmates. State money to combat heroin needs to start coming to Northern Kentucky instead of spread across Kentucky evenly, he said.

“I say the funds go where the problem is most dire. The funds need to come to Northern Kentucky,” Deaton said.

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