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Friends and Citizens of Jefferson County:

As the controversy of the merger map continues in Jefferson's Fiscal Court, many have spoken out for an alternative map.  What is clearly needed, however, is
an ALTERNATIVE PLAN that does not dissolve the city of Louisville, decrease African-American voting power in the city, or limit the ability of citizens in the county to incorporate their neighborhoods after
merger.  Such a plan does exist!  It is called the JUSTICE OF THE PEACE plan, and we at the Committee for Legal and Electoral Merger Opposition need your help to get it on the ballot in Nov. so citizens of Jefferson County can elect it as the legitimate form of government instead of the illegal merger.

The Kentucky Constitution sect. 67-050 states that any county which has commissioners can return to a magistrate (justice of the peace) system in which 8
justices are elected by the districts which they represent instead of county-wide commission elections. Petitioners have tried to do this three times in recent history: 1978, 1984, and 1985.  In 1978, the proposition failed after then-Judge Executive Mitch McConnell and the Chamber of Commerce claimed it would
create "chaos in the Courthouse."  The plan actually passed in 1984, and 100's of candidates including Cheri Bryant Hamilton, Lindy Casebier, Sean Delahanty, Tim Shaughnessy and current County Attorney Irv Maze signed up to run for office.  Unfortunately, then
County Clerk Bremer Ehrler did not follow regulations regarding election notification, and the KY Supreme Court voided the election.  The plan was petitioned
once more the next year, but by this time voters were tired of the process and defeated the proposal.  (And don't forget the two merger plans proposed in 1982 and 1983, which also failed mainly due to the Courier-Journal's then-opposition to the plan.)

We at CLEMO say it's time to try for Justice and for Peace again!  The first time the justice plan was defeated, it was because opponents claimed 8 candidates for county-wide offices was too many-- now we've got 26!  The second time it was defeated, it was
because voters were tired of the legal squabbling-- and now we've got the merger plan tied up in a state Court of Appeals and a Federal Court and is subject to a Justice Department Investigation!  When the Justice of the Peace plan passed, it was because people in the county wanted representation and there was a bevy of
candidates ready to fill those new roles-- now we've got hundreds interested in running for the new merger offices, but how much power will they REALLY have
under the new supermayor, IF they even in the first place choose to run for office under a law that apparently will have to be amended in Special Session because it is flat-out illegal and unconstitutional?

Please, help us force the vote on Justices of the Peace in November.  Print and sign the attached petition, and circulate the attached informational pages to your friends.  We need all petitions returned by August 3 to prepare them for submission to Rebecca Jackson the next week.  If you have any questions whatsoever, please call 635-5978 or email me at turnspages@hotmail.com.

Thanks in advance for promoting democracy in Jefferson County and stopping the corporate agenda of Greater
Louisville, Inc. DEAD IN ITS TRACKS!

-Mark Brown
The Committee for Legal Electoral Merger Opposition
PO Box 4993
Louisville KY 40204