Meet William Blair
Conservative Values. Innovative Thinking. Hard Work.

BUD WILL WORK HARD

Leading a county is hard work and takes a great deal of time to do it right and to keep up with the changing times.

Farming at 15 years of age, William “Bud” Blair is no stranger to long hours or tough work. He learned the ropes of farm management on a local tobacco farm while also attending high school and St Catharine College. By 23 years of age, Bud owned his first farm.

Today, Bud Blair owns and manages a 900-acre farm that straddles the Washington-Marion county line. The effort has required good money management and the ability to change with the times. Bud knows how to get the most from every dollar spent – a quality that is also important in a county judge.

BUD’S LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN FRANKFORT AND WASHINGTON

Bud Blair has served on local boards and agricultural groups in both Frankfort and Washington D.C. He worked on passing the tobacco Buyout Bill and knows how to collaborate with governing officials to pull in better resources for local groups.  Bud’s work with the Burley Tobacco Association took him to China, Brazil and other countries sharing and gaining new information and making lasting contacts and relationships.

  • Burley Tobacco Buyout Program, Board of Directors
  • Washington County Farm Bureau
  • Kentucky Cattleman’s Association
  • Kentucky Farm Bureau
  • Leadership Kentucky
  • Kentucky Burley Growers’ Committees
  • Springfield Rotary Club

BUD WILL WORK FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY’S FUTURE

Washington County has fallen behind. It’s a struggle to come up with reasons for our children to live here or move back here.

Looking at the towns nearby – seeing the progress they are making – it’s hard not to wonder why we haven’t moved forward like they have. Why do other places get the best industries while we wait for what’s left. Give Bud a chance use his experience in agribusiness to move Springfield and Washington County forward. Bud remembers when businesses thrived here. When there were no empty buildings on Main Street. When there was a community swimming pool, skating rink, and a drive-in theater.  When parents weren’t afraid to let their kids ride their bikes or walk to school or into town. I want older folks to feel safe like they used to – when people didn’t have to lock their doors at night.

Being a farmer means you do what has to be done exactly when it needs to be done. The same is true for the office of county judge. Let me show you how our community can use our strengths. I will help get county government moving forward.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY RESIDENTS

I want government to do what people can’t do for themselves, like law enforcement, emergency EMT services, and a countywide junk pickup (which we used to offer but was recently cancelled).

We need to attract quality industries and businesses that will hire our young people to work in quality positions and not just take what other counties don’t want. We need to attract industries that will create high-paying quality jobs, not just tax revenue. Our children and grandchildren deserve a healthy economy so they too may have the opportunity to raise a family in this special place, and it’s up to us to make that happen.

We have very talented and hardworking people in our county and we need to keep them here. I will work for the residents of Washington County with an eye on the future. I will also encourage local groups to be sensitive the true needs of the county.

CONSERVATIVE VALUES

  • I will continue to be committed to making our way of life better in Washington County.
  • I support veterans, police, and the right to bear arms.
  • I believe in the freedom to worship and the freedom of speech.
  • I support our military and efforts to secure borders.
  • I am pro-life.
  • I am for lower taxes.
  • I will use my position to encourage US oil, and food production.
  • I will lobby for long-term lower gas and diesel prices.
  • I am for lower fertilizer prices and grocery prices.

DRUG ABUSE & CRIME TASK FORCE TO PREVENT DRUG ADDICTION

The drug abuse and drug addiction problem facing the country also affects Washington County. Robberies, break-ins, thefts of 4-wheelers, tractors, and trailers are mostly caused by drug addicts. Drug addiction breaks up families, especially the fentanyl that’s coming across the southern border, killing thousands of our youth.

We hear a lot in Washington County about the jail bill from our county officials. We’ve heard that complaint for decades and it has even been suggested they might have to raise taxes to cover the bill. Raising taxes to pay the jail bill is a short-sighted, liberal knee-jerk reaction. County leaders have failed to deal with the underlying cause of the high jail bill: the drug addiction problem in Washington County!  Most inmates are in jail for charges related to drug abuse and drug addiction.

We must get ahead of the drug abuse crisis, or the jail bill will keep getting more and more expensive, more and more lives will be lost, more families will be destroyed, and our streets and roads will not be safe. If we direct our efforts towards illegal drug prevention, we may start addressing this issue before it escalates to that level.

Drugs are in our schools. We need to equip our parents and teachers with modern education on the ways drug dealers try and spread this poison in our schools and how students hide drugs from parents.

I will appoint a local drug prevention task force to study our local drug problem and take action to help families address these issues before they get out of control. Arresting people and sending them to rehab has been the old, traditional approach that is not working. We need an innovative new strategy that will get upstream of the problem so we can prevent people from falling into drug addiction rather than waiting to pull them out. 

BUD WILL FACE CHALLENGES HEAD ON

You can be sure that myself and the county road crews will work during a snowstorm to clear roads…even if it’s a holiday. I care about our community. I will help our Washington County boards and entities like the library board, airport board, extension board, health Department, fire departments, rescue squad, SWEDA board and City councils get the best grant opportunities as we work to get our share of the state and federal pie.

It takes courage to take on a problem. The wipeout of the tobacco support program was the biggest crisis I faced on the farm. I didn’t fold, quit or run away. Like other farmers, I worked to get the best tobacco buyout bill I could get for Washington County. We got time for farmers to transition out of tobacco and into other farm products.

Being able to change and be flexible is necessary for success. Much the same with county government, there is no problem that can’t be solved with successful leadership and a willingness to learn.

Bud Blair is the proud parent to 3 children (who help on the farm) and Bud enjoys the time he gets to spend with his 4 grandchildren.

 

 

Bud Blair and his family.