This is the fifth feature on candidates
who are advertising on The Logan Journal.
Jason Petrie, who has practiced law in his native Todd County since graduating from Ohio State’s College of Law in 1998, is seeking the office of state representative for Todd, Logan and a small part of Warren county as an independent.
He grew up on a small farm in Clifty with his parents, Jack and Joyce Petrie, and his older brother Mike. He graduated from Todd County Central High School in 1989 and in the fall began his undergraduate studies at Berea College, excelling through the work program as a teaching assistant and graduating in 1993 with honors, majoring in economics and philosophy. Petrie then started graduate studies at Western Kentucky University where he worked as a teaching/research assistant and graduated in 1995 with a masters degree in humanities.
In June 1995 Jason Petrie married his high school sweetheart, Denise Wood of Elkton, and two months later began law school. Denise began her long-term career as a registered nurse in Columbus, Ohio, which eventually brought her to Logan Memorial Hospital where she is employed today. In May 1998 Jason graduated in the upper portion of his law school class and decided to return home to Kentucky with his wife to start their family.
In 2002, Jason and Denise's first child, Nicholas MacGregor Petrie, was born. In 2004, Nathaniel James Petrie graced the Petrie household. In 2006, Calista Jules Petrie completed the family.
After clerking for the law firm of Barkan & Barkan in Columbus, Jason clerked for Circuit Judge Tyler L. Gill of Logan and Todd counties. For the first two years as an attorney, he began growing his private practice and also worked part-time with the Commonwealth Attorney for Logan and Todd counties as a victim advocate and as an assistant Commonwealth Attorney. From 2000 until 2007 Petrie was in a legal partnership with Ken Dillingham in Elkton. In 2007 he began his own general private practice in Elkton, handling clients' cases in Logan, Todd, Warren, Christian and Muhlenberg counties, and continues doing so today.
Jason has been involved in multiple civic organizations and local boards, and attends church at Elkton Baptist Church with his wife and three children.
His website offers these insights into his philosophy and candidacy. Portions of various issues are below. His statements can be read in detail at www.jasonkellypetrie.com.
Government: There is no perfectly sized government, but least is best. Each expansion of government results in decrease of each individual's liberty. The goal is a government that functions in the least possible way so that individuals can enjoy the most liberty to determine their own happiness without trampling the rights of others.
Budget: The Commonwealth of Kentucky must balance its budget annually and operate within its means. Balancing the budget requires that either revenues (taxes, fees, etc.) increase, or expenses decrease, or a measure of both. Kentuckians individually already are taxed enough and subjected to numerous fees, but revenue can increase. When Kentucky fully enforces its existing tax code, property taxes and lien system, revenue will increase significantly without creating one new tax.
Further, spending must be decreased, especially in the immediate future. Spending must be absolutely essential for immediate purposes or long-term investment. Each prioritized expense must then be examined for inefficiency and waste.
Public Pension Debt: The legislature must secure its promise to state retirees and address meaningfully Kentucky's enormous unfunded public pension debt. Addressing the pension debt will make good on the promise to retirees, increase credit ratings, and give certainty to prospective employers that Kentucky has its finances in order and that it is ready for business.
Right to Work: Right to work laws will help create a better climate for jobs. Right to work laws protect an individual from having a portion of his wages taken involuntarily and paid as dues to a union to which he may not want to belong. Right to work laws allow the individual worker to determine if he wants to pay union dues, restoring liberty to the individual and making the union work to persuade the individual to join being more responsive and useful to each individual employee. Individuals become stronger, unions become more responsive and prospective employers will negotiate and interact with those who are truly interested in better work environments.
Transparency: Transparency and accountability are essential ingredients to a greater Commonwealth. Petrie will support legislation for additional transparency in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the Commonwealth. Decisions made in plain view of public eyes are more considered and thoughtful, while decisions behind closed doors usually are thought through only for benefit of those involved.
Education: Education is the assurance that future generations will be able to care for the existing. Kentucky cannot fail to educate those that will be leading and guiding our future. While Kentucky has taken seriously the need for better elementary and high school education and completion of high school, the economy of today demands education after high school. Professional services, skilled labor, technical vocations and agricultural businesses all require additional education. Kentucky must make a high priority of facilitating the entry into and completion of educational and technical training after high school.
Religious Liberty: Religious liberty must be protected, especially in light of recent judicial rulings in favor of same sex marriages. Kentucky must pass comprehensive laws to ensure that each Kentuckian's right to religious liberty is not infringed. As the federal government quietens the voices of Kentucky voters, laws must be passed to ensure that the religious voice of each individual is not limited to only home and church but rather remains available in all aspects of life.
Right to Life: Human life begins in the womb, and the fundamental right to life applies. While there is no political right that is absolute and without exception, the right to life is fundamental and should be treated with priority. When a prospective Kentucky mother faces the undeniably difficult decision whether to abort her pregnancy, she should be informed fully of the physical and emotional consequences of abortion. She should be given alternatives to abortion. She should be counseled and informed in all aspects before deciding. All of these things and more are required for lesser decisions, and are all the more relevant to this fundamental right.
Second Amendment: The right granted by the Second Amendment to bear arms is vital to the individual and should not be infringed. Kentucky should strengthen the legal right of the individual to own and bear arms, whether for recreational purposes or personal security. Petrie will oppose any additional restriction of the sale, use or possession of firearms or ammunition.
Paid for by Jason Petrie