In what yet may be a little more “history” in Clinton County politics, another former Clinton County Judge/Executive, Charlene King, has been picked by Governor Steve Beshear to fill out the remainder of the year as Magistrate of the 5th District.

In so doing, King will become the second former judge/executive (at the same time period) to serve as a member of Clinton Fiscal Court. Ironically in a heavily Republican controlled county, both former judges, and now temporary magistrates, are Democrats.

Clinton County Judge/Executive Lyle Huff told the Clinton County News this past weekend that the confirmation of King’s appointment to the fiscal court came via e-mail from the governor’s office on Friday, July 13.

It could very well be that this is the first time two former county judges have subsequently also later served as a member of the fiscal court in Clinton County–at the same time.

King served for most of the 1990s and the first two years of 2000-2002 and was in office when the state legislature, in trying to make all election years even numbered to cut down on the number of elections necessary, extended one of those terms for county government seats to a five-year term from 1993-98, thus King served in that capacity for a total of nine years.

The new magistrate also ironically succeeded the other current magistrate and former county judge/executive, Larry Hatfield, who had served one term prior to King’s election. Hatfield did not seek a second term.

King will fill the vacancy left by Charlotte Bernard, who had served over half-way through her second term before being selected as Superintendent of Clinton County Schools. She resigned the magisterial position on May 14 and the seat was left vacant for some three months prior to the appointment announced late last week.

Hatfield, on the other hand, was appointed within about a two-week time period to serve out the term of Willard Johnson, who was also over half-way into his second term as Magistrate of the 3rd District. Johnson resigned on April 10 and Hatfield was appointed late that month.

Both Johnson and Bernard are Republicans, with Johnson serving the Snow, Piney Woods and Seventy-Six precincts, while Bernard represented the Speck and Illwill precincts as members of the court.

Both Hatfield and King will serve until the end of the year, as the November election will determine who will serve the remaining two years of the unexpired terms.

The GOP party chose its respective party nominees for each district race early after the resignations, selecting Hershell Key to run in the 5th District and Terry Buster as its nominee in the 3rd District.

Several weeks ago, the Democrat party had initially scheduled a party meeting to select its nominees for each magisterial district to run in November but the meeting was cancelled and has yet to be rescheduled.

The deadline for candidates to file in races for the upcoming November general election is the middle of next month.

Charlene King, right, a former Clinton County Judge/Executive, has been appointed Magistrate of the 5th District by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear. She was sworn in to that position Monday by District Court Judge Scarlette Latham.