A Paducah businesswoman filed today to run for the third district state House seat held by retiring Democrat Gerald Watkins. Martha Emmons - a Democrat - co-owns the bicycle and fitness shop BikeWorld. She says government is broken and lacking female leadership.
“We are 104thin the world in the number of women who hold elective office. That is appalling to me. No wonder we have a lot of things that could be done better.” Emmons said.
Emmons said she wants to invest in people and community while maintaining fiscal responsibility and says she has emulated this through her 40-year-old business. BikeWord is also owned by her husband Hutch Smith.
Emmons has served on a state Bicycle and Bikeways Commission, coached the Paducah Tilghman High School Speech and Debate Team and worked as an extension agent for the University of Kentucky.
On the Republican side, Paducah businesswoman Joni Hogancamp and realtor Randy Bridges are both vying for the seat and would face-off in a primary.
BikeWorld is an underwriter on WKMS.
This story has been updated and corrected that Bridges is also running and will be in a Republican primary with Hogancamp.
