By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
The eligibility of Phillip Mouser, a Democratic candidate for Nelson County Clerk, to run as a candidate in the May primary is undoubtedly one of the hottest issues of this election cycle. It’s an issue that’s been quietly stewing since he filed as a candidate in January.
Having talked a number of times with Mouser, I find him to be a pleasant, earnest and credible candidate for Nelson county clerk. But soon after he filed as a candidate, the questions began. The first thing I heard was that Mouser lived in Hodgenville, and his candidacy paperwork he filed on Jan. 21, 2010 reflected the Bardstown address of his girlfriend. Was Mouser skirting the law? Did he meet the residency requirements to run for an office in Nelson County?
In today’s issue of the local newspaper, Mouser responds to an article published Wednesday by Kentucky Standard Editor Lisa Tolliver which brought to light the questions related to Mouser’s candidacy. And what I found most interesting about Mouser’s letter is not what his letter says, but what it does not say.
For starters, Mouser’s letter does not dispute any of the facts laid out in Tolliver’s article.
The truth is that Tolliver’s article was the first “official” source to reveal that Mouser lived in Hodgenville up until late last year. In his public statements (and on the recent TV debate), Mouser has used careful wording to walk that thin line between truth and misdirection; it is a statement he repeats in today’s letter to the editor: “I have lived all but seven years of my life, excluding college, in Nelson County.” That’s a true statement, but in the interest of full disclosure, isn’t it as accurate to say that he lived the last seven years in LaRue County?
It is easy to see why Mouser would prefer to use the careful wording of his statement; it makes it less obvious that he lived out of the county seven years and only moved back to Nelson County last October. The two statements are true, but let’s call it what it is: In a 12-way race for county office, admitting you just moved back to your home county after seven years is a political handicap. If Mouser had been more direct in his earlier statements, would we be discussing this as an issue with just over a week to go before the election?
Mouser’s letter complains about the newspaper’s 300-word limit on letters to the editor (ironically, using 58 of his allotted words to do so). In his letter, he states there was “no sinister master plan afoot” regarding his candidacy; but his letter turns around and suggests that perhaps the other candidates see him as the leading candidate, and have their own sinister “May Madness” plan to bring down his candidacy.
Careful parsing of the English language isn’t a crime; its pretty much life as usual in the world of politics and putting a certain “spin” on the issues. And perhaps Mouser is correct; sinister plot or not, I suspect the other candidates — in an issue of simple fairness — probably felt Mouser’s carefully worded statement was an unfair way of obscuring the fact he lived in LaRue County until October 2009.
Will there be a legal challenge to determine if he meets the residency requirement to be the Democratic nominee for Nelson County Clerk? I can only assume that remains to be seen.
One final note that’s not been mentioned is Mouser’s violation of state law not related to election campaigns. By his own admission, Mouser violated KRS 186.540 – the statute that requires all Kentucky residents to change the address on their drivers’ license within 10 days after it has changed. Mouser admits he moved to his parents’ home in October 2009 and changed his drivers’ license in January 2010. While it’s a minor point, it is still the law.
As is the case in many election cycles, the issues that arise often have little to do with an individual’s true ability to serve in the office. The question of Mouser’s residency are partly of his own making; he chose to tell a version of the truth that would be the least damaging politically. In the end, that decision may be more damaging than the simple truth.
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