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UAW veteran Eldon Renaud seeks to succeed Jody Richards

Berry Craig
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By BERRY CRAIG

AFT Local 1360

Veteran trade unionist Eldon Renaud, a former Bowling Green mayor, is one of four Democratic candidates vying for the soon-to be-open 20th District state House seat. 

Longtime legislator Jody Richards, a former House speaker, is retiring. 

Renaud was a seven-term president of UAW Local 2164 at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green. He also served five terms as the Second Congressional District UAW CAP Council chair. While he was president of Local 2164, General Motors invested $700 million in the Corvette factory, he said.

Few, if any, primary fields are more crowded than the 20th District Democratic and Republican preliminaries. The other Democrats are Rick DuBose, Patti Minter, Brian "Slim" Nash and Ashlea Shepherd Porter. The Republicans are Todd R. Alcott, Troy Brooks and Benjamin T. Lawson.

Primary election day is May 22. 

Renaud is also a former Warren County Democratic Executive Committee chair. Too, he was a Kentucky presidential elector in 1992 and 1996, each time casting one of the state’s eight electoral votes for President Bill Clinton.

“After a lot of prayer and deep consideration, I have decided to run for state representative of the 20th District,” he said in a statement. “Over the years, I have had the pleasure of watching and working with former Speaker Jody Richards to bring investment and growth to Warren County. It is my great hope that, if elected, I can continue his efforts as I focus on improving our public education system and fighting to bring good paying jobs to our community."

Added Renaud, who was elected mayor in 1996 and served for five years: "Kentucky's public employees and teachers deserve every dime of the pensions they were promised, and if elected, I promise to do everything in my power to ensure they receive the benefits they are counting on and deserve."

Rennaud served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era.

He also was on the Kentucky Tomorrow Commission, Kentucky's Rural Health Advisory Board, and the Barren River Area Development District Workforce Investment Board, where he concentrated on cultivating economic development opportunities throughout the state. In addition, he served nine years on the state OSHA Standards Board.

Renaud, also a local business owner, served on the Warren County Drug Task Force, the Housing Authority of Bowling Green, the Salvation Army Board, the local Muscular Distrophy Association Telethon, and he was chairman of the Warren County Missing and Exploited Children's Program.

"While earning my bachelor's [degree] in government, I specialized in state and national government,” Renaud's statement also said. “Personally, I love government, but dislike it when politics becomes more important than serving the needs of citizens.

“It's all about service. We are not there for ourselves but to help our communities. The citizens of Bowling Green deserve a strong, experienced voice in Frankfort, someone who isn't afraid to stand up for what is right. I pledge to put people over politics, reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan effort to do what is right for our community."

More information is available from Renaud by phone at 270-799-7540 or by email at renaudky20@gmail.com.