NKyTribune staff
A hearing to determine the eligibility of Kentucky House District 67 candidate Mary Jo Wedding will take place Monday, Feb. 10, at the Campbell County Courthouse.
James P. Coles, a voter in Kentucky House District 67, filed a legal action, claiming Wedding does not live in the district.
Wedding
If the challenge is successful, Wedding would be ineligible to be recognized as a candidate in the Feb. 25 Special Election to fill the seat vacated by Dennis Keene.
Wedding, in a statement issued by her campaign staff, has denied the allegations.
“Republican candidate Mary Jo Wedding is a resident of the 67th House District and meets the legal requirements required by the Kentucky State Constitution and State Statutes. To say otherwise is false and should be viewed as a weak political attack meant to delegitimize Mary Jo Wedding’s campaign.”
The filing alleges Wedding gave a fictitious address as her residence and listed a P.O. Box outside the House District as her House District mailing address.
Candidate filing information from the Secretary of State’s office indicates Wedding listed a residence on Foote Avenue in Bellevue as her address.
Kentucky law requires that candidates reside in the House District that they represent so that citizens and voters are represented by those who reside in their communities and share their interests and concerns.
Unqualified candidates are immediately removed from the ballot.
House District 67 includes the cities of Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Highland Heights, Silver Grove, Melbourne, Woodlawn and portions of Southgate.
The statement from the Wedding campaign indicates she was raised in Newport and currently resides in Bellevue.
The filing claims Wedding actually resides outside the House District with her family.
Keene resigned his position in the legislature in December to become commissioner of the Department for Local Government in the Beshear administration, prompting the need for a Special Election.
Candidates include Democrat Rachel Roberts and Republicans LeAnna Homandberg and Wedding.
The hearing, which is open to the public, will take place in the courtroom of Campbell County Circuit Judge Daniel Zalla.
The courthouse is located at 330 York Street in Newport.
