Shelburne letter: There’s ‘no place for partisan politics’ in local county races

To the editor,

It is an honor to seek the office of Nelson County Judge Executive. If elected it will be both an opportunity and a tremendous responsibility to be of service to the people of Nelson County. Together we can work to move Nelson County forward in a positive direction.

There has been an onslaught of negative tactics recently released, designed to create unease and spread a message that is untrue, a classic campaign strategy that we’ve all grown so tired of. It is easy to post pictures of me at a Democratic Women’s event in a room with Charles Booker in an attempt to make that picture seem negative.

It’s conveniently overlooked by my opponent that I also attended a Republican Women’s event where former Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton and I shared stories of our military service, she presented me with her challenge coin and wished me well in my public service.

The point is, as judge-executive in local government, we are tasked with service to all. There’s no place for partisan politics locally. It saddens me, and I find it concerning that someone could actually seek this office with those motives.

My opponent also demonstrates a total lack of understanding of Industrial Revenue Bonds. My opponent claims that the Fiscal Court has awarded over $500 million in bonds in the past 3-1/2 years. I offer this explanation: IRBs guarantee investments in our county. They are bargaining tools we can present to employers to attract and maintain good paying jobs to Nelson County to ensure our children and grandchildren have good paying jobs for generations to come. Attracting $500 million investments in our county is a positive step forward for all businesses, big and small.

Campaigns go negative and begin attacking, also depending on partisan buzz words when they don’t have sustainable plans to offer, and lack vision for the future. Unfortunately, I anticipate more of this behavior over the next two weeks, as it seems the attempt to spread misinformation knows no bounds.

I encourage voters to watch the full debates and listen to the answers provided in their entirety. Do not be a victim of soundbites. Inform yourself, our county literally depends on it.

Eric Shelburne 5th District Magistrate
Candidate for Nelson County judge executive

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