Published: November 15, 2007 08:30 am      

Senate president wants Mongiardo to vacate seat

FRANKFORT — Now that Daniel Mongiardo will be taking the oath of office as lieutenant governor on Dec. 11, Senate President David Williams wants him to vacate his seat in the Senate immediately.

Mongiardo says he'll keep his seat until he is officially sworn in, however.

The General Assembly starts Jan. 8, and Williams, R-Burkesville, said if Mongiardo resigned immediately, voters would have a state senator in place to prepare for it. Mongiardo's district covers Bell, Harlan, Leslie and Perry counties.

Williams released a letter Wednesday that he sent to Mongiardo on Nov. 9, three days after the election in which Mongiardo won office on the Democratic ticket with Gov.-elect Steve Beshear.

Mongiardo responded late Wednesday that he would wait until the inauguration.

"At that point I will resign my seat and it will be the responsibility of the governor to set a date for a special election and I'm sure he will do so promptly."

Williams said he based his request to Mongiardo on reading that Mongiardo will be spending much time as co-chair of Beshear's transition team. He said he does not understand why Mongiardo is staying on as a senator.

"It now will be late January at the earliest before his replacement can join the Senate and that person will have no preparation for the job," Williams said.

If Mongiardo resigns now, Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher could set the election date. If he waits until the inauguration, Steve Beshear, as governor, would call the election. The law requires a special election to be at least 35 days from the day the governor issues the date for it.

"Your delay until the inauguration would force a special election to occur during the session and will undoubtedly politicize the beginning of the session and distract the members from the bipartisan cooperation you and Gov.-elect Beshear openly espoused," Williams said in his letter to Mongiardo.

State Rep. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said he would be interested in running for the Senate seat. Other possible GOP contenders, he said, include Rep. Tim Couch of Hyden and Leslie County Clerk Jim Lewis of Hyden.

Lewis said he is "looking at" the Senate seat but has made no final decision. Couch was not immediately available for comment.

Former state Rep. Roger Noe of Cumberland, a Democrat, has said he is interested in the seat.