News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

State Rep. Larry Elkins Not Seeking Re-Election, Wife Of Former State Rep. To Run For Seat

Facebook
/
Kenny Imes

Republican 5th District State Rep. Larry Elkins of Murray said he is not seeking re-election for a second term in 2020, and the wife of a former state representative said she’s filing to run for the seat.

Elkins said he’s stepping down at the end of his term to spend more time with family and take care of a sick family member. He said he considers helping pass pro-life legislation and pass former Gov. Matt Bevin’s pension relief bill as accomplishments.

“I hope we will continue to support candidates and elected officials that basically believe in what I do,” Elkins said.

Kentucky’s 5th state representative district is made up of Calloway County and most of Trigg County.

In a phone call, Mary Imes said she decided to run as a Republican for the seat after encouragement from friends and family. Imes is a funeral director at Imes Funeral Home and Crematory in Murray and is the wife of former state representative and Calloway County Judge-Executive Kenny Imes.

She said she would have to learn some aspects of how to be legislator, but that her connections working alongside her husband when he was a state representative qualifies her for the seat.

“ I want to make sure my children and my grandchildren and my great grandchildren will have a world that will have a kind of normalcy to it,” Imes said. “I’m acquainted with a lot of the legislators and all the people in Frankfort from going with Kenny.”

She said she currently doesn’t have any specific policy initiatives she’s campaigning on. She considers herself a conservative, specifically pro-gun rights and pro-life.

She also said she would be willing to work across the aisle. When asked about specific policy initiatives Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has campaigned on, she said she doesn’t support legalizing casino gambling because she feels it would be more detrimental to the state than beneficial. Beshear has advocated to allow and tax casino gambling to help fund the state’s struggling pension system.

Imes said she agrees with Beshear that public school teachers in Kentucky need to be paid more, but wants to know “where the money will come from.” When asked about how the state legislature should tackle thepotentially significant budget shortfall next year, she said she hasn’t studied the issue enough to have an answer.

 

"Liam Niemeyer is a reporter for the Ohio Valley Resource covering agriculture and infrastructure in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia and also serves Assistant News Director at WKMS. He has reported for public radio stations across the country from Appalachia to Alaska, most recently as a reporter for WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. He is a recent alumnus of Ohio University and enjoys playing tenor saxophone in various jazz groups."
Related Content