Just Smile Jim

Watching Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry at a distance it has seemed, particularly when dealing with the gang activity, that he just doesn’t have a firm grasp of how to get things done. But now we seem to have proof that Newberry either believes he is the master of state legislative politics or a totally politically clueless.

Lexington is seeking state approval to take control of the retirement benefits for police officers and firefighters hired after July 1……

Mayor Jim Newberry plans to meet with the members of the Fayette County legislative delegation on Monday to discuss the proposed change. There are only nine days left in the legislative session.

Nine days left in the legislative session and Newberry trots out this blatant grab for political control. Sen. Ernesto Scorsone sums up the political landscape.

The legislature should "proceed very cautiously on something like this," Scorsone said. "We can't deal with this issue without talking to the employees and allowing them to have a say in how we structure the program."

So the questions are these:

Does Jim Newberry, who harbors ambitions of living in the Governor’s Mansion, really have the political skills to pull this off?

Was Newberry too ignorant to realize the response from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) was going to be “No way in Hell”?

The FOP is vehemently against this legislation as written," said Mike Sweeney, president of the Bluegrass Lodge No. 4 of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Did Newberry not realize the only thing the leadership of the FOP hates more than a liberal politician is a politician messing with their pay and benefits?

Is this just Newberry’s way of getting his name in the paper?

Regardless of the answer this strikes me as one of the dumber political moves I’ve seen lately.

Maybe Newberry should just stick with welcoming visiting VIPs.