A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

The Primary: Linda Tally Smith, Commonwealth’s Attorney; Tom Lampe, Campbell County Commission


LINDA TALLY SMITH
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Boone & Gallatin Counties

It has been my distinct pleasure to serve as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Gallatin and Boone Counties for the last eighteen years. I became an attorney for the sole purpose of becoming a felony prosecutor. In 2000, with six years of felony trial experience as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, I took a leap of faith and ran for the job I had always aspired to. At that time, I became one of the first female Commonwealth’s Attorneys in the state.

As a felony prosecutor for 24 years, I have spent every day in the trenches making our communities safe places to raise our children, to ensure justice is being done in our criminal courts, and to make sure that the voices of victims of serious crime are heard. I have prosecuted thousands of felony cases ranging from drug trafficking and child sexual abuse, all the way up to capital murder trials. In fact, the last person executed in the state was a man who murdered two children in a horrific Gallatin County case that I personally prosecuted from the date of offense until the date of execution. I was even appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General to assist in arguments before the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Linda Tally Smith

Amidst the scourge of the heroin epidemic, my office has been on the front lines working with drug addicts to connect them to available resources and formulate strategies to break the grip of addiction. In 2013, my office created a local Rocket Docket program designed to move persons charged with low-level felony offenses fueled by drug addiction from a jail cell to a substance abuse program expeditiously. The program serves the dual purpose of motivating offenders to receive much-needed help and reducing the overwhelming taxpayer costs of housing pretrial inmates and their medical care necessary while detoxing. Our program has been so successful that it was one of the models used when the Attorney General created a statewide Rocket Docket program in 2015.

Because of my passion for cold cases, I have spent thousands of hours working with law enforcement on behalf of victims murdered long ago. During my tenure, we have charged and successfully prosecuted a half-dozen murderers in cold cases as old as 1980. I continue to work closely with our Cold Case Detectives on a dozen remaining cold cases going back to 1976. In short, I have spent over two decades working to make sure justice is done … for all. I have twice been selected as state Commonwealth’s Attorney of the year because of my dedication to the felony criminal justice system. I am a past president of the Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association and have served as an instructor to prosecutors and law enforcement professionals for thirteen years.

Sadly though, politics is an extremely ugly arena. Over the last 18 months, I have been the subject of news coverage and social media viciousness that has been extremely one-sided, filled with misrepresentations and outright lies, and for which everyone who wants to offer an opinion is given an outlet to do it. This opened the door for me to draw a challenger for the first time in 18 years. However, felony prosecutions are complex by nature, and the issues cannot be boiled down to the twisted soundbites being used. As such, I encourage voters to educate themselves with the facts by visiting my campaign website at www.LindaTallySmithCWA.com where they will find the documents and evidence.

I have been blessed to have the overwhelming support of not only my friends and family but also the law enforcement and criminal justice system professionals, jurors, grand jurors, witnesses and crime victims who I have been blessed to cross paths and work with over the years. Those who support me know who I really am and the heart I have for the work I do. They also recognize that this job is way too important to be entrusted to anyone who lacks the skill set and love for felony prosecution to ensure that it is being done right.

I have committed to running my campaign on the merits, focusing voter attention on my decades of experience doing a job I have committed my entire career to, have hundreds of hours of specialized training for, and have received recognition and awards for my dedication and achievements. I am the only candidate with the skill set, drive, and passion for felony prosecution that is required to do this job. I will continue to stand up to bullies and fight hard for what I believe in because that is precisely the type of person our community deserves to have representing their interests in the criminal justice system.

I would greatly appreciate your vote on May 22nd.

* * * * * *

TOM LAMPE
Campbell County Commission

Why I am running for re-election for County Commissioner

As a lifelong Campbell County resident who has been actively involved in our community, an elected official with nearly 16 years experience serving local governments, and a businessman with more than three decades of experience in the Northern Kentucky business community, I believe I have the qualifications to be re-elected to serve our residents for a second term as Campbell County Commissioner.

Past experience in both government and business

Prior to my election to the Fiscal Court in 2014, I served six terms on the Fort Thomas City Council, where I served as chairman of the Public Safety and Parks and Recreation Committees and on the Finance and Public Works Committees.

I have more than 34 years of experience in sales and business development and I currently work as director of business development for Furlong, a regional design-build construction company, as well as vice president of client relations for smartLINK, a Newport-based company that installs smart-city and smart-campus technology around the country.

Campbell County native involved in civic and community organizations

I am a lifelong resident of Campbell County. I attended St. Thomas Elementary School in Fort Thomas, St. Xavier High School, and Xavier University, where I received a BSBA in Marketing in 1984. My wife, Kim, and I raised our three sons — Tyler, Will, and John — in Ft. Thomas.

Tom Lampe

I currently serve as a board member of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, the eight-county planning and development organization that serves Northern Kentucky. I also serve on the Business Support Committee of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Foundation Board.

I am active in my parish, St. Catherine of Siena, where I serve as a Lector. I am proud of my Christian faith and the fact that the Northern Kentucky Right to Life has endorsed my candidacy in this race.

Work as Campbell County Commissioner

I take my job as Campbell County Commissioner seriously. Similar to the approach I used while serving on Ft. Thomas City Council, I thoroughly study the issues that come before the Campbell County Fiscal Court to obtain information and intelligence, and determine its effect on the county, before taking a vote. I try to make fact-based decisions designed to lead to long-term solutions, while emphasizing fiscal responsibility and protecting conservative values. I strive to do the right thing and make good decisions.

I think my most important role as Commissioner is ensuring that our communities and families are safe. No community is immune to crime and we must continue to take steps to fight crime in every neighborhood and improve public safety for our residents, businesses, and first responders.

The backbone of Campbell County’s public safety operations is its 911 communications system. Recently, I worked with other county officials to join with Boone and Kenton counties to purchase a new, state-of-the-art 911 digital radio network.

This new network will replace the county’s outdated, unsafe analog system. The new network will allow our police, firefighters, and EMS personnel to get strong radio signals to and from dispatch operators and other first responders. This collaborative effort will save Campbell County taxpayers more than $1.2 million.

Addressing the heroin and opiate epidemic

I recognize that the heroin and opiate epidemic ravaging our region has touched the lives of many people in Campbell County, resulting in deaths, heartbreak, and increased criminal activity. Since becoming County Commissioner, I have worked hard to address this vexing issue, and I am proud to have been nominated for the Heroes Against Heroin Humanitarian Award because of these efforts.

The county completed a $7.5-million addition to the county jail that dedicates beds to treat heroin and opiate addicts. This program has become a model for other counties in our region and state. We continue taking other concrete measures in the areas of prevention, enforcement and treatment to attack this difficult and disturbing issue.

In conclusion, I believe that my past experience in business and government — particularly my work as a Campbell County Commissioner over the past three and one-half years — make me the best candidate on May 22, especially when you compare my experience and accomplishments with those of my opponent.

I respectfully ask for your vote on May 22. Thank you.


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One Comment

  1. Dean Knolls says:

    “ She will have the back of any dirty cop that decides they want to lie” HER Words !! The job of a defense attorney is to win, The duty of a prosecutor is to do “the right thing” Not Lydia

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