[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5335-5336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO KENTUCKY STATE REPRESENTATIVE DANNY FORD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I stand before you today to call 
attention to the great service of my dear friend, State Representative 
Danny Ford of Mt. Vernon, KY.
  Danny was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 
first time in 1982. He represents the 80th District, which for most of 
his tenure has included the counties of Pulaski, Lincoln, and 
Rockcastle, Danny's native county. However, Representative Ford has 
decided his time in Frankfort, the State's capital, will end with his 
current term. But based on the outstanding service to constituents he 
is known for, I say with confidence today that if Danny had decided to 
run again he would have most assuredly won.
  There are few men finer than Danny, a hard-working, honest family man 
and a devoted student of the State government process. An auctioneer 
and real-estate agent by trade, Danny has worked alongside members of 
his family in their various Mt. Vernon businesses throughout his life. 
As the grandson of a former Rockcastle county judge, he is most at home 
when he is at home, amongst the citizens of the 80th District whom he 
cares about so deeply.
  Danny has said that ``the greatest part of my job has been helping my 
constituents find their way through the mazes of State government.'' 
And that is exactly what Danny did. He believes in the philosophy of 
being attentive and accessible. No matter what, you could always count 
on Danny to be ready and willing to listen to any and all of his 
constituents' concerns.
  Danny is truly a one-of-a-kind elected official. He has his own style 
of politicking that sets him apart from all the rest. He was known for 
operating in a low-key style because he felt that if you drew attention 
to yourself, you would become a distraction. Danny tried to stay out of 
the spotlight, but that is not to say it was because he wasn't getting 
things done.
  He was able to push legislation that fixed key issues for the people 
of southeastern Kentucky. He helped to build interstates, repair 
infrastructure, build the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Mt. Vernon, 
and pass legislation that would make police cruisers more safe for the 
officer by adding cages separating the front and back seat. It is safe 
to say that Danny Ford truly cared about the people of the 80th 
District.
  During his time in the Kentucky House of Representatives, Danny held 
such titles as Republican floor leader from 1995 to 1998, Republican 
minority whip from 1993 to 1994, and now again in 2011. He also was the 
longest serving Republican in the statehouse since 1900. Danny was 
looked to as a leader by both sides of the aisle. His opinion was 
greatly respected by the right and the left. And you can bet that when 
Danny Ford stood up to give a speech, every ear tuned in so as not to 
miss a single word of his eloquent preacher-style delivery.
  In one of Danny's final interviews with Kentucky Educational 
Television, Danny said that after he retires he would like to return to 
work as an auctioneer, watch his grandson's basketball games, and spend 
more time with his family. And it is my understanding that he will be 
celebrating his 60th birthday on April 25. Happy birthday, Danny; I 
truly wish you and your family all the best.
  At this time I would like to ask my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to 
join me in commemorating Kentucky State Representative Danny Ford for 
his contributions to the citizens of the 80th District and the great 
Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  Recently an article was printed in the Central Kentucky News 
highlighting the distinctive achievements and honorable service of 
Representative Danny Ford during his time in public office. I ask 
unanimous consent that article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    [From the Central Kentucky News,
                             Jan. 28, 2012]

      Rep. Danny Ford Calling It Quits After 30 Years in Frankfort

                           (By Todd Kleffman)

       Even before the House had voted to approve the 
     redistricting plan that would reshape Danny Ford's 80th 
     District, the auctioneer from Mount Vernon grew wistful, 
     foreshadowing the end of his 30-year legislative career 
     before he announced his retirement.
       As he was railing against the Democrats' redistricting plan 
     on the House floor, Ford took time to ``thank the people of 
     Lincoln County for allowing me to serve as their state 
     representative for all these past many years.''

[[Page 5336]]

       After the plan--which basically removed Lincoln from the 
     80th District and replaced it with Casey County and pieces of 
     Madison--was approved, Ford let it be known that this would 
     be his last term, ending his run as the longest-serving 
     Republican in the statehouse since 1900.
       ``That new district covers 125, 150 miles instead of 50 or 
     60,'' he said. ``It's going to be a lot more difficult to 
     serve.''
       ``That has been the greatest part of this job, helping my 
     constituents find their way through the mazes of state 
     government,'' he said last week while spending the day with a 
     reporter at the Capitol.
       Despite his lengthy time in office, Ford never became a 
     household name to folks outside Frankfort. That's due in part 
     to his own low-key style and the fact he toiled for the 
     minority party in the House, which is akin to being 
     invisible, even if you are part of the Republican leadership. 
     Ford currently serves as minority whip, a position he also 
     held in 1993 to 1994, and was his party's floor leader from 
     1995 to 1998. He is the senior member of the House Budget and 
     Appropriations Committee.
       ``I try not to be out front too much. That's not my 
     style,'' Ford said. ``When you draw attention to yourself, 
     you become a distraction. Sometimes it's gentle persuasion 
     that can make a difference.''
       Al Cross, the long-time political writer for the Courier-
     Journal who now heads the Institute for Rural Journalism at 
     the University of Kentucky, has observed Ford in action 
     during all his time in Frankfort.
       ``He has been like a lot of Republican representatives: 
     he's not that interested in government doing much, so he 
     didn't push a lot of legislation, and, being in the minority, 
     he wasn't interested in jumping through a lot of Democratic 
     hoops,'' Cross said. ``If you're not in the majority, there's 
     not a lot you can do.''
       ``If you ask people around Frankfort, they'd probably 
     remember Danny most for his speeches. He's a pretty good 
     orator. When he gets up to make a forceful speech, he reminds 
     you of a revival preacher. He's pretty eloquent in getting 
     his points across.''
       Ford's political acumen and communication skills were 
     evident at the beginning of his political career in 1981. He 
     was already established in his native Rockcastle County, 
     where his grandfather had been county judge and his family 
     operated a variety of businesses, including Ford Brothers 
     Inc., an auction and real-estate company that also has an 
     office in Pulaski County, a part of which comprises the 80th 
     District.
       If he was going to win the seat in his first run for 
     political office, Ford figured he needed to step outside of 
     his comfort zone. He spent little time campaigning in 
     Rockcastle and Pulaski, focusing his effort almost entirely 
     on Lincoln County, where he was virtually unknown.
       Daly Reed, a soil conservation agent who died in 1989, 
     greased Ford's path in Lincoln County. The two had only met 
     briefly the year before at a Republican function but formed 
     an alliance that Ford credits with launching his political 
     career.
       ``We just hit it off. We went door-to-door, from 8 in the 
     morning to 8 at night,'' Ford recalled of that first campaign 
     with Daly. ``He knew everybody and their family tree. When 
     he'd introduce me, he'd say, `This is Danny Ford, my adopted 
     son.'''
       Ford carried Lincoln County that year and has been nearly 
     unchallenged ever since. Of 30 primary and general elections 
     that have passed since he first took office, Ford has only 
     faced opposition four times and only once failed to win 
     Lincoln. That was in 2002, when Stanford attorney Paul Long 
     won the battle on his home turf but couldn't overcome Ford in 
     Rockcastle and Pulaski.
       ``I've been very fortunate,'' he said.
       During the ensuing years in Frankfort, Ford said he took 
     most of his cues on bills to sponsor from people and events 
     in his district. He recalled a devastating crash that claimed 
     two lives in Rockcastle County when a man who had been 
     arrested for a DUI climbed over the backseat and commandeered 
     a state trooper's cruiser and drove it the wrong way on 
     Interstate 75. That led to legislation requiring all law-
     enforcement vehicles to be equipped with cages, he said.
       In the current session, Ford is sponsoring a bill to outlaw 
     the sale of so called ``bath salts,'' potent amphetamine 
     powders that people inhale to get high and thus often end up 
     in the hospital. Varieties of the product have been legally 
     sold at D&M Market in Crab Orchard and other places around 
     the state.
       ``I've got a number of calls from Lincoln County that a lot 
     of kids are fooling with it,'' he said.
       Ford is also pushing a bill that will make products 
     containing pseudoephedrine available by prescription only as 
     a way to curtail the state's epidemic methamphetamine abuse. 
     He is dead-set against a ballot measure to amend the 
     constitution to allow gambling.
       ``I would hate to see our state revenue based on something 
     so volatile,'' he said of the expanded gaming issue. ``I'm 
     very concerned about the kind of influences that will be 
     trying to pass this thing.''
       Taking a stance against gambling is right up Ford's alley. 
     He doesn't shy away from the socially conservative hot-button 
     battles against gambling, abortion, and gay marriage. His 
     front-and-center role in creating a constitutional amendment 
     to ban gay marriage and civil unions in Kentucky, which was 
     approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2004, was the most 
     intense experience in Frankfort, he said.
       ``I was at the forefront of that issue; I was really 
     pushing for it. I was called a right-wing radical, a 
     homophobe,'' he recalled. ``But I'm comfortable standing up 
     for what I believe in.''
       Representative Mike Harmon from the neighboring 54th 
     District that covers Boyle County said Ford's values, 
     experience and ability to work both sides of the aisle will 
     be missed.
       ``Danny's a great guy, very conservative,'' Harmon said. 
     ``He fought for whatever concerned his district, whether it 
     was roads or water or whatever. He could probably have easily 
     won his new district. He was very well liked. There's always 
     going to be some challenges when you're in the minority, but 
     I think that he was respected by both sides.''
       Ford said patience and a willingness to compromise are 
     necessary traits to be an effective legislator. It's 
     important not to commit to a position too soon, before 
     understanding both sides, he said, and sometimes it's a long 
     road to seeing a project completed.
       As an example, Ford said the improvements to U.S. 150 from 
     Stanford to Mount Vernon began during Wallace Wilkinson's 
     administration in the late 1980s. ``They said they were going 
     to start it in Stanford, and I said I didn't care where we 
     started as long as we got it done. And we've just now gotten 
     it finished.''
       Of all the governors he served under, Ford said he had the 
     most trouble with Wilkinson, the Casey County upstart who 
     surprised a field of better known Democrats in 1987. It was 
     Wilkinson's political strategist, James Carville, who later 
     went on to national fame as the architect behind Bill 
     Clinton's two runs for the presidency, who made Ford uneasy.
       ``I never established much of a relationship with Governor 
     Wilkinson, but that was probably because I did not like James 
     Carville one bit,'' Ford said. ``He was the most wicked man 
     I've ever been around in my life.''
       Ford arrived in Frankfort at the end of John Y. Brown's 
     term. Things have changed considerably since then, he said.
       ``It was much more of a partying institution back then, a 
     lot of drinking and carousing and card playing. The 
     legislature is more sober-minded now, more conscientious 
     about doing its job.''
       He credited Martha Layne Collins for Toyota, ``an industry 
     that changed this state forever.'' Of Brereton Jones, Ford 
     said, ``He was a straight shooter.'' He described Paul Patton 
     as ``very sincere. Nobody treated me more fair.'' Ernie 
     Fletcher, the only Republican, ``tried to help and got some 
     good things done,'' but was handcuffed by his minority 
     status. Beshear ``has been good to work with,'' Ford said.
       After finishing this session and a possible special 
     session, Ford, who will be 60 in April, said he is looking 
     forward to working full-time with his son in the real estate 
     and auction business. His 30 years in the legislature have 
     earned him an annual pension of about $40,700, slightly less 
     than his highest salary as a representative--$41,039--which 
     he is being paid this year, according to the Kentucky 
     Legislators Retirement Plan.
       He has no plans on getting involved in choosing his 
     successor in the 80th District, though he said he will 
     support someone who shares his conservative ideals if such a 
     candidate emerges.
       When asked what advice for a long political career he might 
     whisper in the ear of the person who takes his place, Ford 
     kept it simple, in keeping with his style.
       ``Be attentive and be accessible. I came into this with the 
     attitude of making sure I listened to what people had to say, 
     and now that I've been up here and experienced the 
     legislative process all these years, it's made me more that 
     way than ever. Just be accessible and available and listen.''

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