By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times
EDMONTON —
A Monroe County businessman has been nominated by the Republican Executive Committees in Cumberland, Green, Metcalfe and Monroe counties as the nominee for the Kentucky House of Representative’s 53rd district.
Bart Rowland, of Tompkinsville, will seek to fill the un-expired term of former Rep. James Comer in the Feb. 7 special election.
“I’m honored to receive the Republican nomination for the special election in the 53rd House District. I’ve lived all my life in southcentral Kentucky and want to make this area a better place to live, work and raise a family,” Rowland said in a press release. “I pledge to be an open, accessible and informed representative for all the people in the district. I will make it my top priority to grow the local economy, create more jobs, cut wasteful spending in state government and fight for conservative values in Frankfort.”
Rowland is vice-president of Rowland Insurance Agency, which has offices in Glasgow and Tompkinsville.
Comer resigned from his state representative’s post earlier this month so that he may fulfill his duties as the state’s agriculture commissioner, a post he won in the November election. Comer’s term as state representative does not expire until the end of 2012.
The filing deadline for the special election is Jan. 10 at 4 p.m.
Rowland had already filed to seek election to the seat in the May primary and is facing opponents Charles Kirby Copas, also of Tompkinsville, and Freddy Harbison, of Metcalfe County.
Whoever wins the special election will serve as state representative, filling Comer’s unexpired term.
“They will hold the office for the unexpired term which expires at the end of this year,” said Patsy Jernigan, a deputy clerk in the Monroe County Court Clerk’s office in an earlier Glasgow Daily Times’ story.
That person can then file to run for the seat in the May primary election. The winner of the May election will then run for the seat in November, she said.
Rowland is chairman of the Monroe County Industrial Authority.
