Kentucky’s 5th District State Rep Kenny Imes says he’s in the race for State Treasurer.
He filed his candidacy with the Secretary of State's office today.
The Murray Republican says that, beside Attorney General candidate Whitney Westerfield from Hopkinsville, there aren’t enough West Kentuckians running for executive office.
“Right now West Kentucky is very ill-represented as far as our government’s concerned," said Imes. "I mean, we just don’t have the people we need. Westerfield and I are the only two people that are running, at least statewide.
"I've been in the state legislature six terms and I've been a deputy cabinet secretary, so I'm used to the way Frankfort works, I think that'll help bring West Kentucky again to the forefront," said Imes. "Along with the late Wendell Ford and Governor Julian Carroll, who's a state senator now, it just gives us a little more ability to be a bigger part of the state that we're all so proud of."
Imes says, if elected, he’d bring an increased level of transparency to the Commonwealth’s finances, especially when it comes to fixing Kentucky’s Employee Retirement System.
“First thing I’d do is have it audited," said Imes. "You know, see how you can do things better, seeing how you can watch people’s money. Every state dollar goes through the treasury’s office, one way or another, and every check goes out of there. But you also serve on the pension boards, the Teacher’s Retirement System, Lottery Commission and all that. I just believe they need to be more open and transparent."
Imes is the fifth candidate in the treasurer’s race; others include Republican bankruptcy attorney Allison Ball and Democrats Neville Blakemore, State Representative Rick Nelson and former Representative Richard Henderson. Current Treasurer Todd Hollenbach is term-limited.
