The recent November general election brought about a lot of changes in some ways, while some federal seats remained unchanged. But one change that may be a help to Clinton and other central Kentucky counties in the First Congressional District was announced recently by new Congressman James Comer.

According to an article in the November 17 issue of the Tompkinsville News, it was announced that for the first time ever, the main office of the First Congressional District will be in Monroe County, just a couple of counties away from Albany and Clinton County.

According to the article, Comer announced last week that his hometown will be the location of his office–which will be located on the second floor of the Monroe County Courthouse in Tompkinsville.

Although Monroe County is no stranger to having a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in its midst, a central office had never been located there. Dr. Tim Lee Carter, also a Republican from Tompkinsville, held the Congressional seat for several years in the 1960s and 1970s before retiring in 1980. At the time, the district was in the Fifth Congressional District.

Carter served prior to the realignment of districts that took place several years later, with most of his counties being to the central portion of Kentucky, as opposed to most counties now being to the western section of the state.

The Tompkinsville News article noted that, “Former Congressman Ed Whitfield’s District Office was in Hopkinsville for the past 22 years. Before that, First District Congressman Tom Barlow and Carol Hubbard both had their First Congressional District Offices in Paducah (both in far western Kentucky). When Monroe (and Clinton) County was in the Fifth Congressional District, both Congressman Hal Rogers and Tim Lee Carter housed their main offices in Somerset.” Comer said.

“It only makes sense to me to put my District Office in Tompkinsville. Monroe County is home, and I am happy to have the opportunity to do something nice for my hometown,” he said.

The District Office will be where all of the in-state workload will take place. Caseworkers, communications, field representatives, and the official Kentucky office for Congressman Comer will all be headquartered in Tompkinsville.

“There will be an open and impressive group of people from across the district who will be based out of my Monroe County office. There will also be a lot of out-of-town visitors coming to Tompkinsville now for various reasons on a daily basis who will hopefully add a significant amount to our local economy,” Congressman Comer stated.

There are 435 U.S. Congress members in the United States, each with his/her own district office. Of all 435 members, Congressman Comer’s office will be located in the smallest town in population, according to Comer. Kentucky’s five other offices are located in Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Bowling Green and Somerset–with Tompkinsville now added as the sixth.

According to the article, Congressman Comer anticipates his office will officially open sometime in mid-January, when he will have a ribbon cutting ceremony and an Open House to showcase the new office for the community.

Comer, who was nominated by the Republican Party to fill the vacancy of former Congressman Ed Whitfield of Hopkinsville, had to win “two elections,” so to speak, when Whitfield announced early retirement, prompting a special election in November.

One election–with the same two candidates in each–was to fill the unexpired term that ends in January and the regular election to fill the two-year term. Comer, who was former Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2015, handily won both on November 8 and is already serving as the new first district Congressman from Kentucky.