If the Kentucky Senate gives its approval to the proposed redistricting changes passed last week by the Kentucky House of Representatives, Clinton County will lose it’s representation by native son Jeff Hoover of Jamestown, and will once again be moved into a district that includes Wayne County.

“I’m just so disappointed and frustrated in the process and I’m really upset about no longer having the opportunity to represent Clinton County,” Hoover told the Clinton County News Monday morning during a brief telephone interview.

Hoover, who is the Kentucky House of Representatives Minority Leader, currently represents the 83rd Kentucky House District, which comprises Russell, Clinton and a portion of Pulaski County.

Hoover was clearly upset by last week’s development, and in fact put off an interview opportunity about the redistricting developments until Monday.

“I have so many friends and family there still, I was born there and grew up there on Hopkins Street,”Hoover said Monday. “It’s like my second home – always has been and always will be.”

It is required by law, following each census, that district boundaries be redrawn in order to make each district as near the same size, population wise , as is possible, to within a variance of five percent.

There are currently 100 House districts in Kentucky.

In the plan passed by the Kentucky House last Thursday, Hoover’s “new” district would be made up of Russell, Cumberland and Monroe counties, as well as a portion of Pulaski County.

Clinton County would become a part of the 52nd District that would include Clinton and Wayne County and a small portion of Pulaski County.

The 52nd District is currently represented by Sara Beth Gregory, an attorney from Monticello.

The new district plan passed the Democrat controlled House last week by a 63-34 vote, and immediately set off a fire storm of comments and accusations from House Republicans.

Hoover said that while there had been some talk of a suit to challenge the new redistricting plan, he seriously doubted that anything could change the plan from becoming law within a very short time.

The House and Senate had made an agreement to pass each other’s plans without revision, and the Senate plan to redraw the state’s 38 senate districts, was set to be released within the next few days when the lawmakers returned to Frankfort after Monday’s observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Members of Kentucky’s House of Representatives will be elected again this year with primary elections in May and general elections this November. House members serve two year terms.

“The majority party – the Democrats – in the House, have the authority to redistrict and draw boundary lines as they see fit, and they chose to really radically re-draw some boundary lines for Republicans, and I was one of them,”Hoover said. “At times I’m mad and at times I’m angry but I just feel like the wind has been taken out of my energy to serve.”