Elizabeth Belcher, Democratic candidate for 14th District State Representative
Submitted by Elizabeth Belcher, Democratic candidate for 14th District State Representative
I am a native Kentuckian, a wife, mother, grandmother, Christian and Pro-Life. I was raised on a dairy farm in Daviess County and in a farm family everyone worked. Education was stressed by my parents and they instilled in all seven of their children that if we were willing to work hard, we could be anything we wanted to be and whatever that was, we should strive to be the best in that field.
I chose nursing. I became a registered nurse certified as an occupational health, safety and environmental nurse specialist. I worked for the city of Owensboro as their medical officer and loss prevention manager. I was responsible for caring for the medical and safety of city employees, administered employee benefits including health insurance, EAP program, drug and alcohol testing program and worker advocacy. I worked with every aspect of city operations including police and fire department, city administration and community assistance. I am now a retired public employee.
I am married to Randy Belcher, have two sons, Brad and Chris, who are both small business owners. My youngest son is a retired fire fighter. I have five grandchildren, one is in pre-law at Murray State, two are in pre-nursing at OCTC, one is a senior in high school and one a freshman.
I have served on the Governor’s Health and Safety Network Board, mayor’s appointee to the Daviess County Health Department, U of L Environmental Board as a Daviess County representative. I have served on my parish’s council, am currently a member of my church choir, a member of Indivisible Owensboro Executive board and the Daviess County Democratic Executive Committee.
I decided to run for state representative after seeing an unprecedented attack on working families for the last two years. Wages have been lowered through the passage of the right to work for less bill, the repeal of prevailing wages, reduction of healthcare benefits for the most vulnerable including black lung benefits, public pensions being dismantled and the lack of funding for coal miner’s pensions. Worker’s compensation benefits have been reduced, certain classifications of workers can no longer get overtime pay, and unemployment benefits have been cut in half. Public education has been cut to the bone making way for for-profit private charter schools funded by tax payer dollars.
The majority legislators in Frankfort are working for the rich and big corporations and no one from our area is working for us. The tax bill just passed balances the budget on the backs for Kentucky’s poor and middle-class families while giving big tax breaks to the top 1 percent.
I will be a strong voice for the of our counties, unlike the recent trends, I will fight full-time for working people and their families. Our representatives have gone too far to benefit themselves and their special interests at the expense of our children and grandchildren. I support small businesses, but I am alarmed at the way major corporations and out-of-state ultra rich have taken over our state.
I believe government’s role is to improve the lives of the people in our communities.