Silly season isn't nearly over

Election 2008 has passed, but a Kentucky race whose importance isn't widely recognized now looms quite large.

That's the race for Speaker in the Kentucky House of Representatives and it could change the shape of government in the state before the start of the new General Assembly.

Speaker Jody Richards and Rep. Greg Stumbo are both vying for the top spot. Speaker Richards has surrounded himself with members of the Democratic caucus who are more in favor of higher taxes and more spending than Rep. Stumbo has.

That matters because a shift in leadership would certainly result in sweeping changes to committee chairmanships. Committee chairs have a lot of latitude in determining which legislative bills get a hearing.

While Kentucky voters didn't make many changes yesterday, the possibility still exists for some serious change in Frankfort pretty soon.