I know it is extremely early to start this stuff but a self proclaimed candidate for Harlan County Judge Executive, John Luttrell, a retired US Army Reserve Lt. Col, says;
"I don't know about these big casino plans. However, I do not understand why we cannot have these simple slot machines in gas stations and the "mom and pop" stores. Forum
Yikes! I think he may need...
... to implement political plan B if he wants a political future in Harlan County. I can only imagine the reaction from the locals when this statement gets out. It should take about 3 days for his statement to blanket the county.
The people of Harlan County and Eastern Kentucky are sick of gambling. Why? Because we already have video poker machines in just about every single gas station in Eastern Kentucky. Hey ,people go to jail virtually every day for getting busted for paying out on these "entertainment only" video poker machines. I don't mean to be an ass but John Luttrell needs to look around and understand his community before he makes statements such as this.
Screen Shot
How in the world can you pick on a man like Col. John Luttrell when you uphold a man like our present CJE , who has done NOTHING for our county. John Luttrell has served his country with honor. A lot of ppl. are against a wet county, gambling etc. That doesn't mean that they won't vote for a man who has different views than them. You can't agree on everything. Our country said that we needed a change in Washington, we need a big change in Harlan County. That means Joe has got to go.We need someone who has a backbone, and will stand up to the powers that be for Harlan County. That man is Col. John Luttrell
Posted by: Citizen | December 31, 2008 at 01:35 PM
I am NOT disputing his loyalty to our country for GOD's sake, I am a vet myself, his service does not make him exempt from scrutiny. He is running for public office, so stop whining about it and hope to GOD this does not end his political career before it even starts. Suck it up guy, this is politics.
Posted by: Shack | December 31, 2008 at 01:45 PM
What a dummy! He is toast.
Posted by: Big Sandy | December 31, 2008 at 03:30 PM
NO , he is not toast. Did you hear him say that personally? Were you there? Is it just something that someone just told you? I am not a whinner, just someone who wants the best for Harlan Co, and in my opinion Col. John Luttrell will be the one to fight for the good of all Harlan Countians. Rumors fly when someone wants to dethrone the status quo.......
Posted by: Citizen | January 01, 2009 at 08:46 AM
Rumors! He typed that shit on the forum page linked. If they removed it, thats fine, let him deny he wrote it, I saved the page and the IF YOU LOOK at the screen-shot attached you can read it for yourself. Come on!
Posted by: Shack | January 01, 2009 at 09:06 AM
Well, I think it's a bad idea which would never happen anyway. If slots were legalized it would be such a political football and have taken so much political capital to have implimented, the machines wouldn't be stuck in gas stations. The ones who pulled the whole thing off would be deciding where they went and Joe's Pack and Sack wouldn't be getting one.
Posted by: bulletbob | January 01, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I have news for you, we have gambling in Harlan Co., when I go in Don's Super Mkt., Service stations, etc. and see them putting their money in the little machines and scratching off the numbers, and buying the lottery tickets....THAT IS GAMBLING. I personally don't do any of it, don't believe in it. I just wish you would stand up for a fellow Vet, who put his life on the line for us instead of a dietician from where-ever, who has NOT helped Harlan Co. NUF SAID
Posted by: Citizen | January 01, 2009 at 10:31 PM
No use running Joe has a ace in the hole. It is called blacktop. How much needs laid to get him elected is how much will be laid. Can anyone spell Mountain Enterprises?
Posted by: ace in the hole | January 02, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Shack's right; vet status is no free ride; it's a plus for him among other political values. I don't agree with Shack's reasoning on the gambling. Making it legal will keep the people out of jail. THAT is a motivator. Gambling, like spirits, should be the subject of a referendum, not just discussion. Put it to a vote: Fiscal Court & then a Plebiscite.
Personally I abhor gambling. It promises something for nothing. Our nation is founded on the principles of industry, thrift, spirituality, free public educations and libraries, and restrictions on government to interfere in our lives, speech, sexual activity and social expression. My distaste doesn't trump a local option election. A local option election, on the other hand, doesn't trump rights in the constitution, nor does it terminate them.
.
Posted by: BimBeau | January 02, 2009 at 11:56 AM
I think Joe's done this time. There's no sense re-electing him a third time, if it isn't the fourth. He's the furthest thing from spectacular and Harlan is going nowhere. I'm opposed to re-electing people over and over again as a philosophy anyway. It's asking for trouble.
Posted by: bulletbob | January 02, 2009 at 12:02 PM
His time might be up, but Luttrell should have slowed down and chose another revenue generating idea. We are more than a year away, so I don't think this means much, yet.
Posted by: Shack | January 02, 2009 at 01:05 PM
It is the poorest revenue generating idea imaginable. The people most likely to gamble on slots in convenience stores will be the people I'm supporting already via "entitlement" programs. And more would be on the way.
Posted by: bulletbob | January 02, 2009 at 03:55 PM
I think the lottery stinks period, I am not for gambling in any form. I have a choice whether to gamble or not. I choose to follow Jesus Christ, and try to the best of my ablility to do what he says. Black top for votes, that stinks. Do I respect a man who has served their country , especially during war, Yes I do. Joe has been terrible for Harlan Co., The magistrates elect him because they run the county...not Joe. I think they all need to go........I know a lot of ppl. who have already committed to Lt. Col. John Luttrell....so I guess we will see.
Posted by: Citizen | January 02, 2009 at 05:12 PM
Maybe he needs to be a little smarter next time.
Posted by: anon | January 02, 2009 at 05:36 PM
I think if Lutterll wants to win he should run a vanilla campaign. He's a shoe-in, because Minnesota Joe isn't what the folks in Harlan County need. The last thing he needs to do to win election is to come up with some extreme scheme like gambling in a county like Harlan where the folks sure wouldn't want it. If he thinks so then he has been away too long to win.
Posted by: bulletbob | January 02, 2009 at 10:02 PM
just because Lutrell was in the army . N.G. doesnt mean he will be the next judge.. Dont vote for someone cause they said I SERVED MY COUNTRY.. there are alot of men and women who served that who would be and would not be able to run.
SO wait till all the candidates file. FInd one who is going to help Harlan co.. or the one you think is best and vote for him.
Delzina was a great judge . She at least got factorys in here but due to other reasons they closed down.
Posted by: OLDTIMER. | January 22, 2009 at 07:19 AM
Shack, instead of picking and chosing what you want to post for your benefit. Go back and read all my posts, such as the following:
Re: Joe Grieshop vs. John Luttrell for CJE
Fellow Harlan Countians, I debated whether or not to place this on here or out in another type of public form because it is so early still before the 2010 election. However, there are people that seem very concerned that I am able to turn over their apple cart, so to say. Therefore, I want to start now by giving you some insight to how I feel and the direction I intend on going, if elected. As I have said earlier, if I am not elected, I will still be here in Harlan County supporting any way I can. Pardon the long post but I feel it is worth
SIMPLIFIED STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HARLAN COUNTY
1. Introduction.
Strategic planning implies forward thinking and anticipation of the future. Resources will be utilized and decisions made to achieve desired future goals. Strategic planning is the process of identifying future goals and how to achieve them. Strategic planning will clarify the process of building a local foundation for economic development. There is no magic formula for developing a strategy. It involves hard work, communication, brainstorming, and cooperation. To succeed, we must know as a county where we want to go and how it should get there. A strategy is a simple road map to show us how to do this.
2. Strategy Building Steps (Used by an established advisory committee)
This committee will use the 7 step decision making process:
1. Identify the problem
2. Gather Information
3. Develop Courses of Actions (Solutions)
4. Analyze and Compare Courses of Actions (Solutions)
5. Make a decision; select the best Course of Action (Solution)
6. Make a plan
7. Implement the plan (assess the results)
a. Identify the problem(s): Wide community support is the foundation for successful economic development efforts. This committee needs to be made up of a cross-section of all the communities public and private leadership, as well as concerned citizens throughout the county with one primary goal: A better Harlan County.
b. Gather Information: Identify trends and determine strong and weak points of our county. This data can even be used later for those interested in investing in the county economy. The data should include information on the population, income, employment, wages, business, and an inventory of community services - utilities, highways, and tourism. This data can highlight the problems our county needs to work on if we are to have successful economic development. The data can also help us what types of economic development we should pursue for the county.
c. Develop Courses of Action (Solutions): We may increase our economic activity in a variety of ways including existing business, tourism, attracting outside business and/or industry, encourage new business within the county, and any other means of bringing money into the county. Alternatives can depend on many factors. However, it is important to know what realistic alternatives are available to our county and then chose the one(s) that best fit our area and situation.
d. Analyze and Compare Courses of Action (Solutions) and Set Priorities: These are issues that will influence the direction of our counties economic development efforts. A complete set of data can indicate key issues. Water, garbage, sewage, and the attitude of our citizens for a change may be things that our county can do something about. For example, we need to make sure everyone has access to clean water if we want to tie the garbage bill to the water bill, or building a recycling center. The bottom line is we must look realistically at our county and change what is possible and necessary, and then proceed with a plan that is workable. Identify Financial Resources: Identify the sources of capital required to finance needed changes in the county and enable economic development. Talking about economic development will not make it happen. The money must be there. We need to exhaust efforts on use of coal severance money, grants, as well as State financing.
Set Priorities: We must establish a list of priorities specifying the kind of economic development alternatives to pursue and any changes that need to occur in order to make economic development possible. Below are a list of suggestions only:
-Drug Enforcement and Rehabilitation Center
-Tourism (ATV Parks, Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and Mountain Trails)
-Dredging Projects where needed
-Recycling Center (Rebuild to accommodate multiple recycling)
-4 Year College (Build off of Southeast Community, if needed)
-YMCA
-Water park
-CBOC (Community Based Outpatient Center) VA
-Federal Prison Facility
-Road Improvement and upgrades
-Environmental Academy
e. Make a plan: The plan should be as simple as possible but complete. In addition, it should be flexible for problems that may arise. It should be accomplished within a reasonable time frame. The two most important parts of the plan may very well be WHO will do what and WHEN will they do it. Someone or a group must be identified to complete each task in the plan and they must be given a completion date. The economic development strategy is that it should be viewed as a process and not a single event. No part of the plan has to be set in concrete, but rather flexible and ready to adapt to change as needed.
f. Make a decision; Select the best Course of Action (Solution): We cannot expect everyone to agree on everything. However if we keep the single purpose of a better Harlan County in mind, we can make the best decision for that situation and that time. In addition, we need to ensure that each district or are of the county is getting the positive effects of economic impact and not just one or two areas.
g. Implement the plan: Finally, we must work together and not be divided among ourselves. There is a need to constantly assess the results of the decision that is made. After Action Reviews can be used to determine what efforts we need to sustain and which ones we need to improve on.
3. Strategy Tools.
1. Support Cultural Assets: Strengthen and improve those areas in the county that have the power to attract people and businesses. Define local cultural heritage, draw tourists, and catalyze economic growth.
2. Grow Entrepreneurship and Jobs: Support and nourish emerging artists, crafts persons, small businesses, and cultural based enterprises.
3. Foster Community Economic Development: Each community has strengths (especially cultural) that can be taken advantage of in a variety of ways. Increase awareness and understanding for leverage to increase local business growth, strengthen community cultural economic incentives, and promote industry.
4. Build Human Capital: Provide educational and leadership opportunities that encourage personal creativity and initiative. Use this to provide our younger generation reasons to want to stay or return to Harlan County.
5. Grow Partnerships and Collaboration: In Harlan County, we have many small communities with separate city councils and such. Each of these need to unite in a common goal, “A better Harlan County”, without jealousy or envy. This will require vision and broad based engagement among different communities. Although the scale is different, small places provide an appealing environment where people can escape their busyness and intensity and slow down the pace of life. Harlan County has a distinctive character of its own unique culture. Because of our size, visitors are likely to have more intimate cultural experiences often partaking in what the locals cherish in each of the different communities within the county.
If you believe, we can make a better Harlan County for the future.
“The only limit of our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt-
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Leadership requires and understanding of newness in the context of the old; to put it more simply, a leader must know what is going on.”
-Leadership Lessons of Jesus; Briner and Pritchard-
Candidate for County Judge Executive
John M. Luttrell
Posted by: Mountain Warrior | June 06, 2009 at 11:03 PM
Hmmm, looks like more than slots at Gas stations. Hit me back and we can do this all night. I DO NOT approach the drastic and urgent situation that we have here in Harlan lightly. I have a plan, but I am also flexible. As CJE, I am the voice of the people and I serve them. Not the other way where they serve the CJE. Seems as if in some of these offices, we have got that confused.
Posted by: Mountain Warrior | June 06, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Hey don't get touchy with me John. You said it I did not.
I thought you lived in Estill County!
Hey run and have at it, everyone should run for office if they have the chance.
Posted by: William Shackleford | June 07, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Excuse me, Candidate for County Judge Executive John M. Luttrell it appears to me you have some good ideas.
Do you have any solutions?
Posted by: Jim Anderson Stivers | June 09, 2009 at 11:05 PM
Wake up Harlan County! Lt. Col. John Luttrell has proven his ability to succeed in every area of his life. Let me remind you that he was Commander of the 1st Battalion 149th Infantry (Mountain Warriors) and led 600 soldiers home safely after a 15th month tour in Iraq. This was only one of 3 combat tours he was involved in.
In addition to that, he graduated Union College Cum Laude in 1988 where he also became (and still is) the only athlete in Union College history to be named to the NAIA All American Team 3 times.
This guy has the motivation, leadership skills, intelligence and desire to make your county a better place for all who want to live there.
Apparently, many people in Harlan County agree, because he was named "Harlan Countian of the year" in 2008.
What more could you possibly ask for in a candidate?
Randy Hall
Corbin, KY
Posted by: Randy Hall | June 13, 2009 at 02:25 AM
I am not familiar with Harlan County...I have only been there four times. But I joined Alpha Company 1-149th Infantry during a difficult tour of duty in Southwest Baghdad. I am not sure if the slots idea is a good or bad idea. And I am sure that the election has already gone on. But please, let me assure you. There is no leader more competent, more knowledgeable, and more selfless than LTC John M. Luttrell. As a platoon leader of a Light Infantry Platoon there is nobody I can think of that was more caring, knowledgeable, and humble than John Luttrell. Because of his attitude, knowledge, and willingness to PUT HIMSELF THROUGH WHAT HE ASKS OF HIS MEN he garnered the respect of everyone. His actions ensured that we ALL came home alive. Not an easy feat for a battalion that was tasked with defending a FOB and performing combat patrols, infrastructure rebuild, and civil support in not one, but TWO battle spaces. Get hung up on the slots all you want, but LTC John M. Luttrell will be beyond that. While you are looking at the opponent 3 yards from you, LTC Luttrell will be diving into the end zone. My advice to you, take advantage of what this man can offer you.
Posted by: CPT D.K. Smith | November 04, 2009 at 11:30 PM