The Shelbyville Idea Podcast

Caleb O. Brown

News and Notes from Shelbyville, Kentucky shelbyvilleidea.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Oct 25

    Jennifer Henson Decker on Medicaid, Housing, and Impeachment

    Caleb O. Brown: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I’m Caleb Brown. Right now I’m bringing you one of two episodes recorded with the Democratic and Republican Party nominees for the Kentucky House of Representatives, Andrew Thomas Monarch and Jennifer Henson Decker. Jennifer Henson Decker is the Republican nominee for the Kentucky House, District 58, in Shelby County. We sat down October 17th. We discussed housing, the General Assembly’s attempt at mitigating the impact of Medicaid cuts, and the legislature’s power of impeachment. Her campaign website is jenniferhensondecker.com. Jennifer Henson Decker, you are running for another term in the Kentucky House representing the bulk of Shelby County. Tell me about yourself. Jennifer Henson Decker: Well, I’m trained as an attorney, but I like to think of myself as just an advocate. I love public service — I’ve always loved public service. We’ve lived in Shelby County for 40 years, and I have served on many, many boards: hospital, church. I was elected nine times to represent parents on site-based councils back when my children were in school. For the past eleven years, I’ve worked as the director of a Christian nonprofit that deals with social services, and I’ve found it to be the most rewarding job I’ve ever had — seeing direct impact on people’s lives. So I love policy. I love to study how policy affects people. When this seat became open, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. A lot of things come with elected public service that are unpleasant, but that’s the price you pay to get to affect policy. So that’s why I’m here. Caleb O. Brown: And when did you first run? Jennifer Henson Decker: I ran in 2020, right in the midst of COVID. It was an odd election year. Caleb O. Brown: I can only imagine. Going door to door probably wasn’t the most attractive option for either you or the people who lived here in the community. Jennifer Henson Decker: Well, actually, I’ve always loved going door to door. You get to talk to the people you serve, or want to serve. And I found in 2020 they were very anxious to talk. I found these plastic — Caleb O. Brown: Like a face shield? Jennifer Henson Decker: Yes — shields, so you could see the full face. I think it was the most fun year to do that. People were anxious to talk to somebody. They were starved to talk about anything with another living adult. So I really enjoyed that. Caleb O. Brown: Starved for connection. What were some of the issues you were most interested in bringing to voters in 2020, when you ran for the first time? Jennifer Henson Decker: Well, I’ve always been interested in constitutional government — in working to ensure that the things the legislature affects in Kentucky are the things it should affect: core governmental functions. I was very interested in that angle of government policy in general — that we would have a limited government, with the lowest taxes we could, that dealt with core functions and didn’t get into a lot of areas that are good but not really the government’s business. Since I’ve been there, I’ve seen how vital that work is, especially now that we have budget surpluses. The ideas that come forward to spend that money are wide and varied, always with heartfelt, passionate arguments about why this would be a good thing for government to do, instead of allowing taxpayers to decide what would be the best thing for their money to fund. So I still think that’s probably the most vital thing for a conservative — or, I’d probably say, a classical liberal — who wants the government to stay in its lane. That’s still my most compelling interest. Caleb O. Brown: There’s always a clamor for a ribbon cutting. And if a government can fund something to serve the short-term needs of a lawmaker, that’s always a very attractive thing to do, whether or not it’s a core function of government. Jennifer Henson Decker: I’m getting ready to send out a mailer on delivering results for Shelby County. And I don’t ever want to deliver a result that the government should not be delivering. When I affect funding, I want it to be for something the government should be in, such as roads or state government education. I wish we all thought more about that: is this not only good, but is it something that only we should be doing? Caleb O. Brown: Right — something the government, by virtue of its specific powers, must do. Jennifer Henson Decker: Yes. That no one else can do. Caleb O. Brown: No one else can, and not much beyond that. In the most recent legislative session — a budget session, which always sort of sucks all the air out of the room when it comes to other priorities — what were the biggest issues the legislature had to deal with? Obviously the budget itself, but I’m thinking of Medicaid. Jennifer Henson Decker: You’re thinking of Medicaid. Yes. I learned through all of this that one in three Kentuckians are now on Medicaid, and that’s staggering to me. It’s a number I find hard to believe, but I see it reported consistently, and I can’t understand how that should be. I know we’re not the richest state, but when I’m out and about, to think that one in three of us — it’s a staggering number. So what we did — and it was a hard bill to pass, it was greatly debated — was to make certain changes to that program. I’m sure you’ve seen the state auditor Allison Ball’s report. I believe she found about one billion dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse: people applying for and receiving Medicaid in two different states, dead people on the rolls, double dipping, undocumented immigrants getting Medicaid — all sorts of things. The program can’t be left alone, or funded at the rate it is, if all that is going on. Caleb O. Brown: People should understand what Medicaid is and what it is not. In name, it is a partnership between the states and the federal government. In many ways, it seems the feds are broadly providing a blank check to states. The states kick in some money, and the federal match is sometimes higher than the state’s share. Kentucky is, I believe, third among the states and the District of Columbia in Medicaid spending per capita. We spend more per enrollee than most other states. And yet Kentucky’s not a wealthy state, and we spend so much on Medicaid. Jennifer Henson Decker: It’s our second-highest priority in the budget, after education. It’s more than corrections, more than public safety. It is a staggering number. Caleb O. Brown: Behind education. Jennifer Henson Decker: There have been passionate debates about whether providing health care for citizens is a core government function. Views range from “it is a human right” to “it is not the role of government.” Kentucky errs more on the side of “it is a right, and we are going to redistribute wealth to provide it.” Caleb O. Brown: Part of the incentive I’ve seen in Medicaid programs is that lower-income states are strongly encouraged to take full advantage of the federal match, because it’s so generous relative to what the state spends. Kentucky spends a dollar and maybe gets three dollars from the feds for these programs, which inevitably perverts the budgetary process for the state. Jennifer Henson Decker: And that’s one of the arguments you hear: “If you cut this, we’ll get fewer federal funds.” Which really gets into the whole question of federal funding of states in general. It perverts our priorities. It’s a way for the federal government to affect states in areas where it has no enumerated powers. Caleb O. Brown: You’re definitely speaking my language there. Federal meddling in the states is really empowered by the — Jennifer Henson Decker: — payments to us. And so we welcome them, instead of seeing it as a matter that isn’t constitutional. States are meant to be sovereign, for a reason, but we willingly hand decision-making over to the federal government because of the money we receive. Caleb O. Brown: So what was the resolution with respect to Medicaid, at least this year? When you gaveled out at the end of the session, what was the … This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Oct 25

    Andrew Thomas Monarch on education, housing, transparency, and data centers

    Caleb O. Brown: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I’m Caleb Brown. Right now I’m bringing you one of two episodes recorded with the Democratic and Republican Party nominees for the Kentucky House of Representatives, Andrew Thomas Monarch and Jennifer Henson Decker. Andrew Thomas Monarch, the Democratic candidate for Kentucky House District 58 in Shelby County, sat down with me on October 11th to talk about education, housing, government transparency, data centers, and health care. His campaign site is votemonarch.org. Andrew Thomas Monarch, tell me about yourself. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Well, for one, my friends call me Drew, so feel free to go with that. It’s just more comfortable. Caleb O. Brown: But as you said just before we started recording, you’ll be on the ballot in Shelby County as Andrew Thomas Monarch. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Yes, that’s what’s on the driver’s license, and that’s what’s on the ballot. Caleb O. Brown: Okay. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Letter of the law, yeah. Caleb O. Brown: Fair enough. Friends call you Drew, though. We were talking about people we know in common, and it sounds like you grew up in this area. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Yeah, my family moved out here in 2006. Like a lot of millennials, my parents got divorced when I was young. My dad ended up out here, and my mom stayed in Lawrenceburg. I worked very hard to move back home. My wife and I have owned a house here for about four years now. We came back for the public school system. My grandmother taught out here for the better part of 23 or 24 years. So we’re very happy to be back home, but it did kind of spark a run for office when you see what’s wrong — what we can improve, what we can work on. I’m a dad first. That’s really what we’re after. Caleb O. Brown: You said fix what’s wrong. What’s wrong? And to be clear, you’re running for the state House. You’re running to drive to Frankfort in that morning sun every spring, to cast votes and offer ideas for state laws. What needs to be fixed in Kentucky? Andrew Thomas Monarch: Well, basic needs really aren’t being addressed. Our entire platform is pretty much laser-focused on education, health care, affordability, and data centers. And I think there’s a common theme with all of these: the general public interest and the general public need are not what’s being tackled. Everything seems to be driven a little more along a corporate lobbyist line. The stock market’s booming, but I’m having to make some pretty basic decisions about whether we’re going to get quality tissues or cleaning wipes — and my daughter’s teacher feels that just as badly. I’m genuinely just a dedicated father. I think any good parent wants what’s best for their kid. Caleb O. Brown: Okay, well, let’s take those in turn. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Yeah. Caleb O. Brown: Education. At the state level, we have 160-plus school districts across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. What can the state do to make education more robust, accessible, and accountable? Andrew Thomas Monarch: Kentucky ranks 47th in teacher compensation — I believe we just moved up from 48th. I think it’s a pretty easy concept: you get out what you put into something. When you ask local districts to do more and more and more, you’re asking our teachers to do more and more and more, and you’re giving them fewer resources to do it with. Now, I’m not saying just throw money at it, but you do have to make this a career worth pursuing. That’s what’s going to bring in quality talent. That’s what’s going to keep teachers from bleeding over to other states. Then I think there’s a very serious discussion that needs to be had about curriculum, particularly in the era of AI. My biggest concern is my daughter not being able to think critically because of a dependency on just asking ChatGPT. We were a little set back at our parent-teacher conference the other day to see that second graders are already getting very acclimated to laptops and to standardized testing. We understand it’s meant to track progress, but at the same time, when does science get introduced into the equation? And when are those higher concepts actually going to start being ingrained in how somebody learns? Caleb O. Brown: Kentucky had — I guess it was a bit of a scandal over reading not too many years ago. The Courier Journal did a wonderful series on it. It seems to me that a lot of education institutions get into fads — Andrew Thomas Monarch: Mm-hmm. Caleb O. Brown: — that don’t pan out, and they’re broadly distributed, meaning every school district has to adopt the fad. Then you look at states like Mississippi, which have had dramatic improvements in not that many years. So it seems entirely possible to make those kinds of dramatic improvements. What do you see as the path forward for Kentucky to improve educational outcomes? Andrew Thomas Monarch: Staying focused on the outcomes, I think evaluating models that have worked, and how they can roll into our systems, is a great step one. To be specific — and I’m glad you brought up the Mississippi model — Mississippi just got right to it. They didn’t spend a lot of time shopping vendors for programs to roll out statewide. They said, “Here’s the issue, and we’re going to attack it from the curriculum side,” and they made it a point of emphasis. I really don’t think there’s any problem in education that can’t be solved. It’s a matter of giving it the attention it warrants. We spend a lot of time talking about things that don’t involve student outcomes. So it’s really a matter of willingness, and of bringing the conversation in Frankfort back to why people go to school to begin with: to learn. Caleb O. Brown: In 2027, a federal scholarship tax credit will be put in place. Of course, Kentucky has attempted to adopt school choice a number of different ways — be it charter schools or scholarship tax credits — and they’ve all been nixed by our state Supreme Court. This one circumvents the entire state apparatus. It would allow parents — or I should say any taxpayer — to contribute up to $1,700 to a scholarship-granting organization. That organization would then provide scholarships according to its plans. It’s a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Every taxpayer can take that $1,700 credit. What I’ve wondered is to what extent public schools are going to take advantage of that for students who want to, say, transfer out of Jefferson County into Shelby County, or into Eminence or Shelbyville or wherever they want to transfer. Do you have a sense of that at all? Is that something you’ve looked into? Andrew Thomas Monarch: If you look at the average resident who has their child in the public school system, how much disposable income is actually there to donate to anything for a tax credit? Long term, I think you’re going to get some disproportionate resources going in certain directions. Everybody wants the best education for their child, and those who can afford it will go get it. The first part of your question was about accessibility, and I’m really not going to budge off the belief that every child deserves the highest-quality education we can provide. I think all of society benefits from that. Caleb O. Brown: I don’t think anyone disagrees with that. Andrew Thomas Monarch: I’m not on an anti-charter-school line, but I do fundamentally believe that public money stays in public institutions. As far as the matching is concerned, I really want to take a closer look, because it’s all federal money, right? Caleb O. Brown: Well, right. That’s right. But it’s directed by individual taxpayers to scholarship-granting organizations. Andrew Thomas Monarch: Yeah, but at the end of the day, the money in my pocket — whether it goes to the state, local, or federal government — is still money out of my pocket. We want it to work for the institutions our children are in. But what happens when the institution my child is in gets choked out because the average income — Caleb O. Brown: What do you mean, choked out? Andrew Thomas Monarch: Let’s take a sampl… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Oct 24

    Norris Beckley: I want people to feel like they’re welcome here

    Caleb O. Brown: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I’m Caleb Brown. This is the second and final episode of Candidates for Mayor of Shelbyville. In this episode, I speak with Norris Beckley. We talked about his background, what it means to be a cheerleader for the city, and his focus on making Shelbyville a better place to do business. Please also listen to my interview with Shane Suttor, another candidate for mayor. We reached out to all four candidates for mayor, including the incumbent, Troy Ethington. Only Norris Beckley and Shane Suttor sat down for interviews. Norris Beckley, you are the second of four candidates for mayor to sit down with me. I really appreciate your time. Tell me about yourself. Norris Beckley: Absolutely. I’m Norris Beckley. I was born and raised here in Shelbyville, Caleb. I’m a Shelbyville native. Shelbyville is my heart. When I think about Shelbyville, I really think of myself — being a native from here, growing up here, being involved in the local school system. I went to Shelby County High School. I often tell people one of my claims to fame with my connection to Shelby County is that I was one of the players on the last state championship team here in Shelby County. That goes way back to 1978, but it’s something I’m very proud of, because a lot of people can’t say that. It’s a fraternity of basketball players. I’m a Hall of Famer here, and this is where I want to continue to lay my roots. From Shelby County, I went to Morehead State University and earned my degree in communications. I’ve had a few stints in my career. I worked in Kentucky state government for a little while. I worked for the Shelby County Public Schools. I worked at the Whitney Young Job Corps Center, working with at-risk kids. I’ve been in law enforcement: I worked on the Eminence Police Department, worked in the attorney general’s office as a special investigator, and also served here as a special deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. And for the past 11 years, I’ve served as senior pastor at Centennial Baptist Church here in Shelbyville. So I’ve got a varied background, which I think is really what qualifies me to be mayor. My life has been grounded by faith and by my Christian values. I grew up in the church and always had a love for the church and for ministry. My wife and I have been married for over 30 years. We have two sons and three beautiful grandchildren. I’m just excited to be able to come today to share my story — to introduce myself to some and reintroduce myself to others. Because, Caleb, let me say this: 20 or 30 years ago, when I would walk downtown Shelbyville or go to a store, go to McDonald’s or Walmart, I would know everybody. But things have changed so much now. Like you — you’re new to Shelbyville. Caleb O. Brown: Yes. Norris Beckley: And other people are new to Shelbyville. So I’m having to reintroduce myself to a new group of voters and a new group of residents here in Shelbyville. And that’s really exciting. Caleb O. Brown: You say it’s exciting. Based on my experience, I’ve found there are a lot of people in Shelbyville who are very welcoming of new people, but there are also a lot of people in Shelbyville who kind of roll their eyes at the thought of a lot of new people coming in. Do you get that sense at all? Norris Beckley: You know, I really haven’t sensed it, but other people like yourself have told me the same thing. We’ll probably get into this during our discussion today. One of my platforms is called One Shelbyville. One Shelbyville means that people like yourself — people who are new to Shelbyville, and people who have always been here — will have a voice and an opportunity to really be a part of this community and be involved in it, where they feel like they belong. I’ve lived in other places, and sometimes when you’re new you do get that sense: “Well, I’m not from here, so I’m not welcome here. My voice and my opinion don’t really count with what others believe.” I want to change that as mayor, so people feel welcome and have a sense of belonging in this community. Caleb O. Brown: This is not your first time running for mayor. What did you learn the last time you ran? Norris Beckley: To work harder — really to work harder and get on people’s level. Sometimes you can overlook people, you can overlook things, and I think I’m more engaged this time around and more team-oriented. One thing you’re going to notice about me and hear from me as we talk today: I’m a former athlete. A lot of what I do revolves around athletics, particularly basketball. I’m a motivator. I’m a leader. Those leadership and motivational skills come from participating in sports since my youth. One of my coaches always told me there’s no “I” in team, but Michael Jordan turned that around and said there is an “I” in win. And I believe in winning. That’s why I’m in this race — to win, and to have that attitude of being a winner. Caleb O. Brown: What are some of the places where you think Shelbyville falls down — where it needs to be better at serving the people in this community? Norris Beckley: I think one is just a lack of leadership. With this administration as a whole, I think there’s a disengagement with the people, and I think people sense that. That’s where I come in as a new mayor. I want people to be engaged. I want people to feel like they’re welcome here. One of the things I believe is that City Hall shouldn’t be just about the mayor. It’s really the people’s house. City Hall is the people’s place, where they should feel welcome. And I don’t think at this point people feel welcome in City Hall. I want to change that, so that it’s a place they can come, be proud of, and be a part of. Caleb O. Brown: On that note, I have to say: Shane Suttor, who is a member of the city council and a candidate for mayor, was the first to agree once I put out the invitation for mayoral candidates to sit down and talk with me. I had to track down your email address, but I did send you an invitation. The only person to flat-out turn me down was the incumbent mayor. Norris Beckley: I’m going to use a word: that’s flabbergasting to me, because a mayor is the face of the city. A mayor is the face of the community. Oftentimes when you say “Shelbyville,” the mayor’s name should automatically come up. And I really believe there’s a disconnect where there shouldn’t be one. The mayor should be the most welcoming person in the city — making people feel comfortable, making them feel like this is a place where I want to live, where I want to raise my children, and where I want to spend my retirement years. Caleb O. Brown: Shane Suttor complained about transparency in government. He said that was a problem. Do you sense that as well? Norris Beckley: You know, I have sensed that. Other people have approached me, Caleb, about that same issue — that the mayor is not transparent. When I become mayor, I will be transparent. I will have an open-door policy. One of the things I’m sure people notice about me is that I use social media quite a bit, and that’s not going to stop. You’re going to see me on Facebook, you’re going to see me on Instagram, and you’re going to see Norris Beckley walking the streets of Shelbyville, being transparent. If people have a question, I want them to come directly to me. If I can’t answer it, I’m going to surround myself with good people who can. Transparency is so important. If you’re going to be a leader, that’s what leadership is all about — being transparent so people can see who the real person is. Caleb O. Brown: You mentioned the Whitney Young Job Corps, where you worked. I drive by it, but I have very little knowledge of what it is. What is it? Norris Beckley: Well, let me say this before I answer the question. I’m saddened to say that the Whitney Young Job Corps Center is no longer operational. Because of federal budget cuts at the Department of Labor, Job Corps centers have been shut down for the past year, year and a half. But it was a wonderful p… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Sep 22

    Main Street, Housing, and Pigs for Pets

    The transcript below was generated with the assistance of AI tools. Some errors may remain. CALEB O. BROWN: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I’m Caleb Brown. I’m speaking today with Shane Suttor, a longtime member of the Shelbyville City Council who is now running for mayor. We discussed housing, development in the downtown area, the frustrations of serving on city council, and of course, pigs and chickens. One programming note: we’ve invited four mayoral candidates to join us on The Shelbyville Idea. Mr. Suttor was the first to sit down for an interview. Shane Suttor, you are a city councilman here in Shelbyville, Kentucky. You are also a candidate for mayor. SHANE SUTTOR: I am. BROWN: So tell me first of all, what’s your background? What brought you to Shelbyville, and how long have you been here? SUTTOR: I did not move to Shelbyville to run for office. I moved here when I was in third grade. My parents got divorced, and my mom and my family were from here, so I moved back here in third grade and I’ve been here ever since. I work at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, Kentucky. I’ve been there going on 32 years. So the Toyota Production System, standardization — it’s kind of built into my system. BROWN: So you’ve been at Toyota since the beginning? SUTTOR: No, no. Toyota’s been there for 40 years. BROWN: I see. Close to the beginning. This is important to me. We have Martinrea here — sort of, but they’re on the way out. SUTTOR: Right. BROWN: I saw a new sign go up in front of Martinrea that says thyssenkrupp. SUTTOR: Yes. BROWN: Foreign direct investment is really important — having foreign firms here employing Americans. What has been your experience with Toyota being a key partner in creating wealth within Kentucky? SUTTOR: Well, we have Nifco in Shelbyville. They build parts for Toyota. I don’t know what the number is now — we have a new model, obviously, the 2025 Camry — but on the old Camry, something like 660 parts came from Nifco. They’re all plastic clips and things like that. BROWN: Essential but not noticeable. SUTTOR: Correct, correct. But yeah, it’s done a lot. Obviously it’s provided wealth for people. It’s provided jobs. It’s changed a lot since I’ve been there. When I first started, I think we made more money than Ford. Now I think they make a little bit more than we do. But we’re a non-union plant and they’re a union plant, so it’s always been that way. BROWN: It’s interesting to see the smaller organizations that have built up around Toyota, and to some extent Ford as well, because some places provide parts for both. SUTTOR: Yeah, 100 percent. And Shelbyville is in the middle. We have the opportunity to be a good staging area for a lot of those plants. BROWN: So you’re working there, living in Shelbyville, and serving on the city council. What has been, broadly, your experience on city council? SUTTOR: Well, the way I got on city council was never intentional. I went to the University of Louisville, got a job at Toyota, and moved to Lexington when I first got hired on. Then I got married. I was going to raise my family, so we decided to move back to Shelbyville. We bought a lot and I built my house myself. We had some green space behind us — that’s why we bought our lot there. Then the developer got mad at the homeowners association and decided he was going to build a bunch of houses behind us on the green space. I remember calling him up and saying, “Hey, I thought this was going to be green space.” He said, “Don’t make this a fight between you and me. This is between me and the homeowners association.” I said, “You’re making it between you and me, because I bought a lot not thinking I was going to have a bunch of houses behind me, and now you’re telling me I am.” So I ran for president of my homeowners association, and we fought him. We won. He appealed, we went to court again, and we won again. I’m kind of the one who came up with our plan for fighting him. He’d already lost once before — when he got mad at the homeowners association, he had signed a court order saying he would not violate the deed restrictions. Our green space was one big giant lot, and under our deed restrictions you couldn’t subdivide a lot. So that was one of our big arguments: you’ve already signed this, you can’t violate our deed restrictions. That’s one of the ways we won. After we won, it was a big deal. It was in the paper, and a few people came to me and said, “Have you ever thought about running for city council?” I said, “I have not.” It was never anything I’d thought about doing. My wife at the time said, “I think you should do it.” So I ran, and I won. BROWN: What do people run on for city council in Shelbyville? What are the things that get voters to the polls? SUTTOR: That’s a great question. I can tell you what I feel like it is now: it’s growth. We are growing. We’re one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. BROWN: Top ten. SUTTOR: Yeah. When I first got on city council, there were 9,000 people living in the city — almost 10,000, but we weren’t there yet. Now we have 18,000 people living in the city. That gives you an idea of the growth we’ve had. I can’t say it’s all exactly what I would like, which is one of the reasons I decided to run for mayor. I don’t want more warehouses and gas stations. I don’t think that’s who we are as a community. We are the American Saddlebred Capital of the World. That’s a title no one else can hold, and we shouldn’t let that slip away. I think we should pick who we want to come here. Being one of the fastest-growing means we can be selective about who we want. We shouldn’t just take everyone who wants to be here. BROWN: You’re talking about businesses? SUTTOR: Yes. BROWN: Okay. I’m a hardcore free marketeer. If you want to stop growth, you’d better be prepared to buy the lot. SUTTOR: Right, I understand. I’m not stopping growth — we’re not going to stop growth. BROWN: In any individual instance where growth is presenting itself. SUTTOR: Right. We just need to put design standards in place, so that when they come in, they know what they’re getting into. BROWN: Rails. SUTTOR: Yes, rails. Exactly. BROWN: I can appreciate that. So what are some of the big projects that have not come to Shelby County because it was the sense of the city council that they shouldn’t? SUTTOR: I don’t think we’ve kept anything from coming right now. Well — we have. Our current city council, just this last year, fought a warehouse out on Logan Station Road. It got turned down by Planning and Zoning, then came to city council, and we voted it down. There was also a development off Harrington Mill Road over here. They wanted to put in a gas station, apartments, and housing, but it was just not housing that matched the surrounding area. It was very condensed, and I just don’t think it fit in with the area. BROWN: What do you tell young people who find themselves priced out of homeownership? SUTTOR: Well, one of my plans is that we should look at more reinvestment in the downtown area and in areas of town that have not been kept up like they should. Part of that is code enforcement. But I also feel like we should give incentives in those areas. Let’s say you buy a house — and I’m okay with even a developer buying a house — for $150,000, fix it up, and sell it. I think we should offer some type of tax incentive — I don’t know the number of years, five to seven, maybe ten, whatever the council decides — where we lock in the property value at the price they bought it for, not what it’s actually worth, just to try to create some reinvestment downtown instead of having urban sprawl. BROWN: I wonder about that, because given how home prices have appreciated in just the last five or six years — particularly in Shelby County, but elsewhere around the state and the country — it doesn’t strike me that there’s any lack of developers available to do the work necessary to make homeownership more possible for people, and to … This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 04/12/2025

    Derby Comics & Games' Tony Lakas on Building Community, Business Models, and Punitive Tariffs

    This episode was recorded on April 5, 2025. Thanks for reading The Shelbyville Idea! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support this work. Caleb O. Brown: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I'm Caleb Brown. In this episode I speak with one of the owners of Shelbyville’s Derby Comics and Games, which opened in 2023. We discuss his background, the business of game and comic stores, how he thinks about making a business out of creating a community, and why Trump administration tariffs will disproportionately cost their customers and cause many similar stores to fail. Tony Lakas, one of the owners of Derby comics and games in Shelbyville, Kentucky. If you're not aware of where it is, you have to look it up because from the road, Mount Eden Road, it's not easy to see, but more people ought to know about it. And my family and I have been going there for a while and we were very excited when it opened because we thought, oh, great, a gathering place for nerds and geeks who are friendly and want to play games and are interested in that sort of community. So I was very excited when your store opened. Tell us about yourself. Tony Lakas: Okay, so if we just wanna get to the store part, in about 1994 I was just finishing up some college and then I went into the workforce. I didn't like the workforce and I was playing magic the gathering at the time, along with all the nerdy stuff beforehand battle Tech, all this. And there was no stores in Anderson. And I walked into a place called Anderson Comics, and then they had folks in there around a table playing magic at the gathering in this little comic book shop. It was an 800 square foot cinder block, tar roof, gravel parking lot. Oh, scary stuff. So I said, that is awesome 'cause there was no play spaces in stores at the time. This whole thing had just started up. So event centers were not a thing. All of them were boutique stores primarily, except for in college towns. TL: So I said, that's a cool idea. So I found out this guy was trying to sell. So I went and put a mortgage on my house with the help of my parents a little bit. So I am lucky in that regard that I did have the means to do it without taking out loans. And I bought the business for more money than was ever worth. But that was my first mistake, along with many others along the way. Even I make them now. So we started the store there and we called it The Danger Room, which is the most silly name you could ever think of, because the phone calls we would get would be the all sell guns there. And no one knew what a danger room was, other than like a very few limited, even geeks, even the magic players and stuff did not know what a danger room was. COB: So what is the reference there? TL: The danger room is the room in which the X-Men train for Marvel, where it's a safe place, but they can use all of their powers and things to full extent because the room is designed to withstand it. And then they also make dangers and obstacles and fire and everything else. So it's an obstacle course trading room for overpowered mutants and they could use, so it's safe and it's dangerous. So it's called the Danger Room. So that's what we named it. “… there is this pretty strict rule at our store is that we are all geeks. Leave your religion, your politics, and your hot button issues at the door and be prepared to speak with and interact with people who are not aligned with all of your beliefs.” COB: I see. TL: I didn't know anything about comics, so I got some person in that knew comics. So my roommate from college and the... I've always tried to surround myself with people who know more than I do 'cause I know a little bit of everything, but not a master of any. So anyway, so we opened up the store, we ran that, I moved it when Pokemon hit to a much larger location. We expanded to several locations at that point. As I got older, I was looking at possible semi-retirement at the ripe old age of 40. So we started paring down the stores as a deed of necessity because there was a shrinking market and everyone was jumping into the market at that point. There was several stores opening. COB: I wanna talk about that because you've talked about the different models of the way that these stores kind of run and some are better than others. And the community that I see at Derby comics and games, people playing magic, people playing, what's the Star Wars card? TL: Star Wars Unlimited. Thanks for reading The Shelbyville Idea! This post is public so feel free to share it. COB: Star Wars Unlimited. People play Lorcana, which is the Disney Trading card game, which my wife and I unfortunately discovered pretty early on. And we deeply regret dropping many hundreds of dollars on cards and playing constantly here. Now my wife has introduced my older son to the game, which is just terrible 'cause I think he really loves strategy games and he loves being competitive and that sort of thing. But talk about the models of different stores and why some fail and some succeed. TL: Whoa, okay. So I've mentored probably a dozen stores and probably two still exist. The biggest obstacle when you get into one of these businesses is that you get into it for a reason. I normally have a talk, I always tell everyone, if you're interested in opening up a store my first consultation is a steak dinner and a beer. COB: That they pay for. TL: Yeah, of course, of course. I mean, come on. COB: I understand that. TL: It could be a waffle and steak, steak, I mean, depending on what your budget is. But I'm more than happy. I want to talk to people about it 'cause I need to, and that first thing I have a discussion that says, wouldn't it be cool? And this is the thing, I talk to them, I go, okay, so why do you want a store? 'Cause wouldn't it be cool if, and then I have them list out what the wouldn't it be cools? It would be cool for me to have a place for my friends to hang out. It would be cool if I could play games all day. It would be cool if I could get my stuff at discount. It would be cool. Would it be cool, blah, blah. There's a whole list of reasons, there's no place here. I've never fit in just all kinds of different things. COB: Yes, the blue sky vision, if money were not an issue. TL: Yes. And then I have them do it “wouldn't be cool.” And then that's a lot of times they have to kind of stop and think, because they'd never even thought of the it would not be cool that I had to take a loan on my house or one of the games of the comic book industry collapses, which we might be in the middle of, but we'll get to that later. Just all types of things, that they're bad with money, their wife, there's a whole list. Again, I've done this so many times that there, if I recorded all the different answers, we'd have several pages to each. TL: And then once we get to the wouldn't it be cool and the wouldn't it be not cool? Then I have them weigh those things. I go look at these and tell me which one, and of course most of them get through that first... And I always tell them, if you can get through this first conversation, then we'll talk about some sort of real discussion about how to open payment and things like that. So the reason why stores fail is that they get into it and they don't know. They get into it underfunded, which I started underfunded. That's a whole other story, but I got lucky. They fail because they are a one trick pony that they specialize in. And this is my belief, again, there's other stores that do this, they do it very well and they've been around for years. TL: But to me, all that in one, like for many stores, wizards of the Coast is the owner and the creator of Dungeons and Dragons Magic the Gathering. And these two are like cornerstones of almost every game store nowadays. I mean, our game stores would not be so big without the advent of the collectible card game. There'd be a lot fewer stores out there. But if Wizard of the Coast was dry up tomorrow. COB: What's it ca… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 03/11/2025

    Aaron Reed: Farmer's Husband, Gun Dealer, and State Senator

    Caleb Brown: This is The Shelbyville Idea. I'm Caleb Brown. In this episode, I speak with 7th District State Senator Republican Aaron Reed. We talk about his background, why his wife is the real farmer in the family, his time in Frankfort so far this legislative session, gun rights in the commonwealth, and why your humble host is still prevented from owning a few backyard chickens. We spoke February 15th, 2025. Aaron Reed, State Senator from the 7th Senate district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is your first term as a state senator. Tell us about yourself. Aaron Reed: Yes, sir. Thanks for inviting me over today. I'm from right here in Shelby County. I grew up in Chestnut Grove, which is north central Shelby County. My dad was a state trooper. He moved to Kentucky in '76 and graduated from the Kentucky State Police Academy. And I was born in 1977 shortly thereafter. And I grew up, running through fields and hunting and fishing all through northern Shelby County. And went to Shelby County High school, graduated in '95 and went on to Morehead State University. And I went there on a shooting scholarship actually. I was an air rifle smallbore shooter and that got me a pretty good scholarship to go to Morehead. And I studied sociology and criminology there. And in '99, I graduated and went straight into the Navy. I actually enlisted in the Navy. COB: So you graduated but did not try to become an officer? AR: Well, if we got time, I'll tell you a quick story on why. So. COB: Okay, go ahead, go ahead. AR: It's kind of interesting. I was all over campus, constantly running or swimming at the pool, working out. It had become my religion. I'd actually was signed up to be in the Marine Corps. I had an Officer Candidate pathway. I was going to Officer Candidate School. I believe it was my sophomore summer and I got a letter shortly before I was supposed to leave saying they wanted to bump me to the next summer because they had more senior guys that were ready to go. So when they did that, it kind of ticked me off. I was ready to go. And then I discovered the Navy SEALs about that time and really dug in and decided that's what I want to do. The Marine Corps is great. My dad was a Marine and there's no prouder branch of service than the Marine Corps, and I wanted to be a part of that. However, I did discover what Navy SEALs were all about. And when I found that, I was all in. So I was running and swimming. AR: A fellow, a classmate of mine, who technically he was a year ahead of me but he had fallen back a semester and needed an extra semester to graduate. So on my, I guess it was my senior year, early on, we connected. His name was Christian Galeski. He was actually a male cheerleader at Morehead. We didn't give him any crap for that, but soon discovered that was not a bad gig that he had. But he was in pretty good shape. And his dad was an officer in the Navy. And when he found out that I wanted to be a SEAL, he had had this, a similar dream apparently, and we connected and we started working out together. And I had already had a connection, relationship with the Navy officer, selection officer. AR: And since Christian was about six months ahead of me or a semester ahead of me in school, I went ahead and made the connection, called him up, and the OSO came out and gave us the PT test, the swim, run, push-ups, pull-ups, all that stuff. And we took it together, kind of, and both of us maxed it out, same score. And OSO said, Congratulations, Christian, you got the slot. And that's when I found out that there's only one slot per fiscal year, which the fiscal year hadn't even happened yet. He was pre-planning, and because Christian was ahead of me in school, I had just trained my competition unknowingly. And so he got the slot. AR: And OSO told me, like, you know what? You won't be able to reapply for this for another year. And I was already kind of upset that I didn't go to SEAL training already with a friend of mine. His name was Colin Thomas. He was on the rifle team with me for a brief semester there. And I really wanted to go, but my parents talked me into graduating, and so I graduated college, and then I enlisted. COB: All right, fair enough. AR: I know it's a long, long way around. I like to tell people I'm a farmer's husband. And it's fairly accurate. We do a lot of stuff together, but she's the daily grind on the farm. She's the one that's going out and pulling calves and pulling lambs and doing all that. She's really good at it, and she enjoys it. COB: So you are now, you're in your... Before we get to legislative stuff before we started recording, you were talking about you're a farmer, but really your wife is the farmer. AR: I like to tell people I'm a farmer's husband. And it's fairly accurate. We do a lot of stuff together, but she's the daily grind on the farm. She's the one that's going out and pulling calves and pulling lambs and doing all that. She's really good at it, and she enjoys it. COB: When you think about the regulatory environment for cows, lambs, or other, frankly, other livestock or even grown agricultural products, what stands out to you as being especially sort of nonsensical? AR: There's a lot of regulations. We have the... COB: Right. But in terms of some of those might make sense. AR: That's right. COB: Those might be reasonable to protect adjoining properties or protect from virulent communicable diseases among livestock. But in terms of stuff that just to you doesn't make sense and ought to go away, either federal or state, what jumps out at you? AR: Well, for being a guy who has a lot of skin in the game in defending his country, I tend to look at things through a lens of freedom and liberty. And when I get into the agricultural parts of things and realize there's so much regulation, like raw milk is always, it seems to be an issue. I mean, our grandparents and great-grandparents grew up on raw milk. Yet we all are still here. We're alive. You would think that raw milk was poison and you're going to be getting some kind of disease and dying from salmonella or whatever. I just don't believe that's the case. I think there is a way that you can sell raw milk to people who are adults who know what they're buying. COB: So that, to me, that's key is whether or not... When you're an adult. AR: Well, you're an American as well. COB: And, and you can make a decision about... AR: A decision. Imagine that. COB: I don't necessarily have a problem with being confronted with a piece of paper that says, Hey, here are, here's what the government thinks you ought to know about raw milk or certain other agricultural products. But again, if I'm an adult, it's, I should be able to decide what goes into my body. AR: Yeah, and you would think in Kentucky we would, it wouldn't be such a big deal. I mean, we just in January of this year, our last dairy farm closed here in Kentucky. I don't know if you knew that or not. COB: No. AR: Yeah, we, I think we had over 300 in Shelby County. Maybe I misspoke. In Shelby County. Did I say Kentucky? COB: Yes. AR: Okay. So, yeah, in January the last dairy farm in Shelby County closed. And I grew up working in tobacco for Gary and Sheila Reese over in Todd's Point and they had a dairy farm and I miss those days. I mean it was definitely a really cool perspective on how much work, hard working Americans put into their livelihood. And dairy farmers, they were legit. COB: So do you have a sense of what role, either regulation or taxes or some other, some other government imposition has played a role in that farm going under or other farms deciding to get out of that business? AR: I'm not sure exactly why they closed up. I think it was just so much work and pressure from maybe the big dairy, the folks that sell your milk. I think it was just kind of getting too expensive to come out just for one farm. And there might have been some pressure in that regard. When there was 300 of them here, the truck would load up and just go to all the farms … This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 12/30/2023

    What's a 'Step Senator'? Adrienne Southworth discusses her unlikely path to representing Shelby County in the Kentucky Senate

    This episode was recorded April 29, 2023. All errors in transcription are the responsibility of Caleb O. Brown. Please inform us of transcription errors at shelbyvilleidea@icloud.com. Caleb O. Brown: This is the Shelbyville idea. I'm Caleb O. Brown. In this episode I speak with seventh District State Senator Republican Adrienne Southworth. Given the fact that no one in Shelby County has ever voted for her, she calls herself a step senator. We talk about the 2023 and 2024 legislative session, school choice and housing policy amid big ticket economic development projects in Kentucky. You are the seventh Senate District Senator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Thank you for coming by. Adrienne Southworth: Well, thanks so much for having me and doing this. I think it's fantastic. I've heard a few other communities, folks other places in other parts of the state doing similar ideas, and so as soon as I heard that this was getting going, I was like, yes. COB: So I moved to Shelbyville in 2020, in June of 2020 In fact. AS: Well, Welcome. COB: Yes, thank you. You know, one of the questions that I have for local people is what can Shelbyville do to be more welcoming of new Shelby-villians? Not to be confused with Shelby-villains, which is a different group of people in terms of, you know, priorities at the state and but trying to make sure that your constituents are represented well. What are the things that you hear from constituents? These are the things that must be addressed at the state level AS: Well, we do hear a lot of things from our folks, more out in the rural areas that are still behind in basic services. There's always, you know, sewer line issues. There's a lot of new development going on that creates its own firestorm. Particularly when I have a question from a residential area that has borrowed land from like three different counties out on the county line. And that was a big kind of tangle, you know, but I think that a lot of people that are coming into Shelbyville are coming from surrounding area. There are some that are obviously coming from far away, but we have a lot of people, particularly from Louisville 'cause Louisville's gotten to be really not a great place overall, when compared to nearby locations such as Shelby County. And so a lot of my constituents in Shelby County are either long since moved from Louisville or even very fresh from Louisville, but just a lot coming that direction. Shelby County's a very growing place and I think they're looking for a place they can be safe and live a more peaceful life. 'cause Louisville's kind of crazy. COB: I hear that a lot from people. In fact, I know several people that I've just met in the last two years who also moved to Shelby County in 2020. I wonder, so Shelby County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. One of my issues is housing. And I have noticed that in various parts of the state Mayfield, Shelby County is an example. It it's hard to create new housing. There are a lot of hurdles and hoops that you have to jump through in order to just get, there's a lot of discretion that local officials have when it comes to allowing certain construction. Where do you come down on issues of zoning and land use and housing? The Shelbyville Idea is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. AS: Well, I will start with the baseline of everything I start with, which is constitutional property rights. I really struggle with heavy zoning and planning property restrictions, permitting, that kind of thing. Because in the question of property rights, you're always trying to figure out how to protect this person's interest when it gets close to the fence of the other person's interest. And so, you know, trying to figure out how to make that realistic. I think this is definitely from the local perspective you just mentioned, discretion. Discretion is a very difficult subject to deal with in the law because you have to have it in so many ways. It's the only way and other times it is the problem. And so it's just a really weird thing to talk about. 'cause there's not really one principle I can just slather on and say, here's how it goes. AS: But when we create state laws, and you know, of course what I do from the state law perspective, we give the parameters of what you can and can't do as far as you know, what you're gonna create for your local requirements and so forth. And I feel like we've set up a system that is not overly serving the people, really anybody, because there seems to be more focus on the red tape hoops rather than truly looking at the property rights of all of the people involved. So, you know, we are all familiar with zoning changes and notifying all the neighbors and so forth, but I've had cases where even all the neighbors are literally petitioning for something and they still can't get it through. You know, it's like, well now what in the world? And so I think you have to figure out always, ultimately how many rights could possibly be violated from all the parties involved. And then where is the best place to kind of be the safest, I suppose you could call it like a little sandbar in the middle of that ocean. You know, that's kind of where I focus on this kind of a high level look at it. But all these little nitty gritty issues always end up landing in that exact same spot. COB: I hear from Andy Beshear, who's in a reelection year as a Democrat in a state that is trending red. I hear from him these massive job announcements of these large factories and other facilities to, you know, build EV batteries or various other industrial production. And I wonder where are these workers going to live in a lot of these places? Do you think there's a role for the state to sort of assert the property rights of local people to say, Hey, we're gonna build some housing here and please don't try and stop us. AS: Well, that's a really interesting question and definitely one of the first things in my mind two summers ago when they wanted us to vote on that battery plant deal. And you've just loaded about three different issues in here. So I will talk about the housing rights, I'll talk about the governor's economic development, and then I'll talk about business in general. So the housing right. It's really interesting, particularly around that Ford battery plant. While I do live in Lawrenceburg now, my husband's originally from Frankfort. My home county in Kentucky is Larue County, which is next door to Glendale where that Ford battery plant is. And that has been a talk, I mean, ever since I was very young, that was all we talked about in that area was oh, such and such is getting ready to go into Glendale. Everybody knew there was all of these rumors about stuff that was going in Glendale and none of it ever transpired. AS: So when I saw it come past me now in the Senate as a voting measure, I was like, oh my word, it's actually happening. But at the same time, I just felt really bad for all of my old community because I don't see how they're gonna pull something like that off. It's gonna be a disaster for the logistics, you know, traffic and so forth. Because these things aren't just growing. You know, typically businesses come in and they plop down like, you know, warehousing or a plant and then they kind of expand from there, right? This is a... We did $410 million just in state support. That's not including overall impact. And it's going to affect the community and it doesn't have all the other surrounding support around it. We put in money for like training for workers, but you're exactly right. We didn't put training or we didn't put money in for everything else that has to go around that. AS: And granted it's a piecemeal deal, you'll end up seeing that. But for example, you know, my sister lives in a suburban area, not in this state who clearly can't plan their… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 05/15/2023

    Latin, Cursive, and Human Virtue: A Little School for Big Ideas with Kathy Fehder (Episode 2)

    This interview was conducted on April 15, 2023. If you’d like to comment, feel free to add yourself as a paid subscriber, join our Facebook group, or respond on Twitter. The transcript below was generated electronically. Some errors may remain. Please send any corrections to ShelbyvilleIdea - at - iCloud - dot - com. Caleb O. Brown: Kathy Fehder, you are the Principal of Corpus Christi Classical Academy, which has, as of this school year, been relocated to Shelbyville, Kentucky. So tell me about Corpus Christi. Kathy Fehder: Okay. Well, it started out actually as Our Lady Guadalupe 23 years ago. And we were blessed to move into this location here in Shelbyville, right in the center of town, this past June. And we found that there's a vibrant community there, and so the result has been a lot more people really seeing the school. It's becoming more visible in this location, and so more people have come into the school as a result. COB: So the registrants, the young people, there are a lot more this year than there were last year? KF: Yes. Well, the thing is, and particularly since we didn't move in until actually July 1st, the end of June, there were people who hadn't heard about us in our other location in Simpsonville, even though it was there all those years. It was originally Our Lady Guadalupe and they had a high school called Corpus Christi. But at some point, we thought it best to merge, and so the name for the entire school is Corpus Christi and it became classical in 2015. So I've been there since 2016, this is my seventh year. “Our emphasis begins on human virtue, what it is to make a man, a person, virtuous. And then that moves into what we hoped will become young saints, people who understand there is a higher power.” Kath Fehder COB: So, tell me about the... because when I described Corpus Christi... Full disclosure, to listeners, my daughter attends Corpus Christi Classical Academy. When I describe the school to people, because my family, we're not Catholic, but when we interviewed at your school, it was immediately clear to us that this was a great... Gonna be a great option for our daughter. And so, when I describe it I say, "It is a Montessori Classical Academy Catholic school." What... Take those in turn if you want, but what do all those things mean? KF: Okay, Catholic school means that definitely we teach the Catholic faith. Our emphasis begins on human virtue, what it is to make a man, a person, virtuous. And then that moves into what we hoped will become young saints, people who understand there is a higher power. For Catholics, Christ is the pillar of truth, and so we bring all of that into the classroom. The classical tradition comes out of the church as well, we call it Catholic, and then classical because the emphasis of Catholic schools... Excuse me, of classical schools is truth, beauty, and goodness. So, like I've told you, I'm not a reporter, I'm not a public speaker, but I can recognize beauty and truth and goodness, and that's what we really want to infuse into our students who come into the school. They recognize that there is so much of that in the world even though it doesn't always seem that way. What is not, can be more dramatic, but it is to me, an invitation to know God if you understand beauty and truth and goodness. COB: So that's the Catholic portion of the... KF: Catholic and classical. COB: Oh, it is classical. KF: Classical, truth, beauty and goodness. And so... COB: Catholic and classical? KF: Yes. And so we do have an emphasis on... When we talk about things like beauty, we look at the literature that we study. We do not read pop culture, with... I believe that kids get plenty of that at home and in their other environments. But we read classical books, books that kind of have elevated vocabulary and that can really lead kids to understand there's a much bigger understanding, philosophy of life, than what greets the eye. And so we do have this emphasis on our supernatural destiny, but we read books, totally appropriate, developmentally, like things like Robin Hood, King Arthur. And so we do have an emphasis on our Western heritage because it was out of that that our faith sprung. So all of this is Catholic and classical. And as they develop, we also introduce things that really touch upon that beauty element, like cursive. But I want people to understand that cursive isn't just about beauty, it actually has a physiological developmental advantage that unfortunately many have abandoned. But it crosses the midline, there's so much to be said about cursive alone. COB: I have heard that cursive improves your memory of material that you are studying. KF: Yes, it does. Cursive enhances focus, attention to details, of course you can take quicker notes, and fluency of thought. Like I said, it crosses the midline, left brain, right brain, it is so... It's a game changer for people to understand how important cursive is to kids, it strengthens their memory. And in that vein, I would say classical also means that we study the Latin language. And Latin is not a modern language, I'm fluent in Spanish, but Latin is a classical ancient... We call it an ancient language, which is more like math, because it organizes thought and builds those... It gives us that building block, the grammar, to understand our own language. 50% of the English language comes from Latin. COB: So I had Latin in high school. KF: Did you? COB: And when we... When you and I spoke initially about whether or not... About setting up an interview and visiting your school, you said, "Yeah, we teach cursive and Latin." And I was like, okay, I'm sold. [laughter] I'm in... KF: I love it. COB: I'm in. And... KF: Not everyone understands that. COB: Yeah, and so... And I noticed at at a different point when I visited the school, that the Latin textbook that you use, is the Latin textbook that I used in high school. KF: No way, seriously? COB: Yes. Thank you Mrs. Richter of Calloway County High School for... KF: I love it. COB: … teaching Latin to us. And I really appreciate it, and you were talking about not being fluent in Latin, and I thought, well, it's kind of hard to find your local Latin community... KF: It is. COB: … your local group of Romans, to practice your Latin with. But it is... It goes to the core of how Western Romance Languages all developed and... KF: Totally. COB: It is a language that is structured in such a way that you can just give a random assortment of words, and they all already have their place in the sentence. KF: Totally. This is one thing. We study ancient Greece and Rome, and the thing is, we say Greeks with their brains because they were philosophers, they just... They were all about that level of understanding the human person. And then we say the Greeks with their brains, but the Romans with their drains. Because the Romans were engineers, we say, "All roads lead to Rome." And it was from there that so much spread out to the rest of the world. And so that engineering, that organized way of thought really builds upon everything we do in our own language, and that is why I can say that every year, not only with the National Latin Exam, but with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the ITBS, which is the standardized test we give to the whole school, our scores are the very minimum one year above grade level. But for example, I've had... This year, I had seventh graders testing in the college level across the board, and that's common, eighth graders, etcetera. COB: I wanted to make a note of that too, because... And I won't name the other schools, but we toured three schools when we were deciding where to send our daughter, and yours was the first. And I can remember you handed us a folder, and the first page of that... Inside that folder, the first piece of paper was a list of grade... Relative to grade level performance of students at your school. And the other two sc… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

    Latin, Cursive, and Human Virtue: A Little School for Big Ideas with Kathy Fehder (Episode 2)

  9. 05/01/2023

    Backyard Chickens, Partying Downtown, and Zoning with Sally Pollett Zaring (Episode 1)

    This interview was conducted on January 23, 2023. If you’d like to comment, feel free to add yourself as a paid subscriber, join our Facebook group, or respond on Twitter. The transcript below was generated electronically. Some errors may remain. Please send any corrections to ShelbyvilleIdea - at - iCloud - dot - com. Caleb O. Brown: Sally Pollett Zaring. Sally Pollett Zaring: Yes. COB: Tell me about yourself. I am relatively new to Shelbyville, Kentucky and I am just now learning about the people to know. You come highly recommended by several people who as far as I know do not know each other, and you're a new member of the City Council, so I can't ask you about terrible votes that you've made in the past because you haven't made... SPZ: Those are coming maybe COB: Maybe they're coming but, so tell us about your background and what... Just, what do I need to know about Shelbyville? SPZ: Well, I'm a small town girl, so I grew up here and actually just a little bit down the road, but I went away to college and I was gonna be a geologist and decided that I couldn't talk to rocks all day. People are my jam. So I changed my major to education, and both of my parents are teachers, my... They still are teaching in some way or another, but teaching was a calling for me because I'm all about building relationships, so I studied in Charleston in College of Charleston and at Vanderbilt and got some degrees there, but I wanted to come back to my hometown to serve as an educator into the town that I love, met my husband on a blind date, who grew up a little bit down the road from me, I didn't know him 'cause he's a little bit older, but... You know, we won't disclose ages. [laughter] COB: Good. That's much appreciated. SPZ: Yeah, yeah. But... So I've been at Painted Stone teaching for the last 21 years. I was there the first day the school opened and never wanna leave, so I think through COVID, a lot of us had time to sit and reflect and think about how we wanna change the world and what we want to do to make our little world better and teaching is not something that I want to change or leave, but I thought about how I could serve the public in other ways, so city council and local government is what I thought I could do to help make an impact. It's real important to me that I build relationships with the people that I work with, and so I've had several years of getting really close to families that I work with through school, and I noticed that there were some people new to town that didn't know everything Shelbyville had to offer, you know, the coolest tailor in town or the local coffee shop, the story behind those things, and so I found myself sharing my love for the town with the new families that moved in, but also I've been able to kind of get older families that have been here connected to resources that they need or get their kids involved with the library and the parks and things, so I thought this would be a good balance for me to serve outside of school and still serve the two things I'm passionate about, people and my town. COB: Well, I have yet to adequately prepare the list of questions that I want to ask everyone in government, and you're new to government, so I will write those questions and reserve those for other people. SPZ: [laughter] Great. “… we want to have a healthy community where people are active and involved and connected, and also I feel like our downtown is a really ... That's the heartbeat of our town …” Sally Pollett Zaring COB: But, why City Council? Why not fiscal court? Why not something else? Is this a stepping stone or is this just like, this seems like a logical next step for you? SPZ: Well, I think City Council is a little bit smaller than fiscal court. My dad served on fiscal court for 16 years, and so that's kind of his arena, and I wanted to do something a little different, but I feel like the last few months have been so inspiring and have sparked new passions within me that I didn't know. I mean, who thinks you're gonna get excited learning about code enforcement and cost of living adjustments. We don't talk about this in my kindergarten classroom, but... So there has been this fire that is burning inside of me, so I feel really blessed that I have this opportunity to serve in this manner, and I'll see where it goes, I would love to serve again in two years, we'll see, but it's just really been exciting. COB: For those who are unfamiliar or don't live in Kentucky, don't understand how the city government works in Kentucky, what is the purview of the City Council and what is the relationship that the City Council has with the mayor? SPZ: So in Kentucky, we have... Our county government consists of our judge executive and our magistrates, and so they make... They are divided into regions, and each magistrate represents a small region of the county, the city is represented in fiscal court through... Each magistrate has a little piece of the city that they represent, however, the smaller government is our city government and that's our city council, so we have our six council members and our mayor, and people typically explain it as... Or they usually will say, "Oh, you work for the mayor." No, we work together. And so with that... COB: And I suspect at times you also work against the mayor. SPZ: Well, you know, I haven't had that experience, but I'm sure that has happened in the past perhaps. So with the council, our six members are the ones that do make the ordinances and the orders, the mayor will bring suggestions and topics and has put us on committees and divided the council into different groups, you know, made us a part of different committees to be involved within the city, so that way we have a little pulse on what's going on in the city and we can respond and share information with the mayor to help make decisions collectively. So we could come up with a suggestion for an ordinance and the council members along with the city attorney would help write the language for the ordinance, and we would vote on it together. Now, since we're a six member team, there's occasion we could be split, and that's when we need the mayor to help break that tie. COB: So the mayor is Vice President of the United States in the sense that he only gets to vote on special occasions. SPZ: Yes, yes. COB: Okay, great, and then... So when you run for office, as I understand it, you're a quite popular person, of the people that I've talked to who know you, they say, "Oh, I love her," and... So that's... SPZ: Well, I just surround myself with good people, that's the... COB: Okay. Well, there you go. But when you come in office, I can imagine someone like you could run for office and it would be, "I, Sally, I'm running for office," and they're like, "Oh well, great, I'll support you," but other people would have to run on something, which is to say they'd have to run on, "I wanna do X, Y and Z in Shelbyville." To the extent that that was the case, what did you run on? SPZ: So my lens, I have tried to keep. So I wanna make this a town that I'm proud to have my family in and I want other people to feel that way, so there's a lot of pieces of that, public safety, we wanna have a town that has police and fire and all of our services are fully funded to the best of our capability, but also we wanna have a great park system, we want to have a healthy community where people are active and involved and connected, and also I feel like our downtown is a really... That's the heartbeat of our town, and downtown Shelbyville is what gives us that unique look and that's our special stamp on Kentucky, there's no other town like Shelbyville in downtown. So I really want to preserve the things that make us unique and make us special, but also just enhance some things and think about some tweaks that we can make to make these things better for everybody, a town you're proud to… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelbyvilleidea.substack.com/subscribe

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