Bob Hedges believes that his preparation for the public office he wants to hold began when he was just six years old.

"When I was six, I began spending my time when I wasn't in school at my parents' shop. I learned a lot about Logan County and its people even then," says the candidate for Logan County Attorney, subject to the May 18 Democratic Primary Election.

You could make a case, however, for his interest in politics and public service having been passed down to him for generations. "My great-grandfather, Charles T. McCormick, was Logan Circuit Clerk from 1909 to 1927; he later became state senator, serving from 1931to 1935. My family has a long history of public service in Logan County," he says.
His parents, the late Quack and Annelle Hedges; owned and operated Hedges Office Equipment in Russellville for almost 30 years. He notes that his grandfather, N.D. 'Doc'. Hedges, was the first licensed veterinarian in Western Kentucky; and his other grandfather, Hut McCarty; spent his entire career in Russellville working for L&N Railroad. His aunt, JoAnn Hedges Moffitt, was a teacher in the Russellville School System.
Bob Hedges is a 1976 graduate of Russellville High School. At what was then known as Russellville Vocational School he developed an interest in business and was president of FBLA. He took accounting at Western Kentucky University while he was still in high school, and then at the University of Kentucky he earned a degree in economics. From there it was on to Chase Law School at Northern Kentucky University, earning his degree in 1983. He spent the next two years as a law clerk and associate attorney in the Cincinnati area.

Hedges returned home to practice law in 1986 and has been doing so for 24 years. Many phases of his job preparation came in those early years when he served as a public defender, along with Tom Noe and the late A.G. 'Ab' Rhea. He also was a court-appointed attorney in cases involving juveniles. Meanwhile he was building his own private practice, much of it involving serving as a defense attorney in criminal cases.

He spent another three years as trial commissioner for Logan District Court. He had the authority to act in all criminal cases, including setting bonds and issuing search warrants and arrest warrants.

His preparation to do the prosecutorial portion of the county attorney's office came when he was appointed assistant commonwealth attorney, serving under Commonwealth Attorney Randy Epley.

"As a defense attorney and a prosecutor, I have been on both sides of criminal cases," he says. "I also have experience in being a trial commissioner and working as a public defender and in juvenile cases. All of those would be valuable experience for me as county attorney."

Another primary function of the county attorney is to serve as adviser and legal counsel to Logan Fiscal Court. Hedges has a decade of experience advising a governmental entity. He is currently Russellville City Attorney, having served in the administrations of mayors Shirlee Yassney and Gene Zick. "I know what the questions are and where to find answers," he says. "I have experience dealing with governmental contracts, ordinances and human resources. I am accustomed to working with legal issues involving 50 or more public employees."

In addition to his work in the county seat, Hedges has many ties to the rest of the county. His family home as he grew up was in South Logan at Oakville. He worked closely with leaders of Auburn, Adairville and Lewisburg along with representatives of all the water districts as a member of the board of Logan/Todd Regional Water Commission. He is a past co-chairman of the Logan County Tobacco Festival. Since 2005: he has served Co-Trustee & Treasurer of Logan County Law Library. He is a former member of the board of the Logan County Humane Society and is a former officer of Russellville Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International. He is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Hedges' wife Patricia is active in Democratic politics. She served as president of the Logan County Democratic Women's Club for several years and became chairperson of the County Democratic Executive Committee, succeeding Martha Jane King in 2007. Currently she is on leave from that position while helping her husband seek office. "I think the chair should support all Democratic candidates, and I didn't think I should serve as the chair while working in Bob's campaign,' she says.

Patricia Hedges was the founder of and has been the guiding force behind the Soldiers' Family Christmas supported by the Democratic Women's Club. With Bob's encouragement in 2003, she organized the effort to make the holidays better for families left behind while members of the military were deployed. With the help of Brother Joe Carrico and others, this organized outpouring of care and thanksgiving has gotten bigger each year.

Bob Hedges says he is interested in moving the county attorney's office into the old courthouse which has much vacant space now since the new Judicial Center has opened. That would be an efficient use of the county's money and pay tribute to our heritage, he believes. He says he plans to make no major changes in the administrative and clerical staffs who are currently working for long-time County Attorney Tom Noe, nor does he plan on changes to the staff of the Child Support Office. Noe is not seeking reelection.

Hedges' campaign theme is "Honor Comes with Honesty." A couple of more H's, Home and Heredity, could be added in his lifetime of job preparation.