Talk about an eye-opener.

        Strolling into the Fort Thomas Starbucks two days after the May 28 primary was like stumbling into a hornets' nest.

        Or make that a hornets' nest and a wasps' nest.

        On one side of the room were two Democrats, incumbent Campbell County commissioners Dave Otto and Bill Verst. They were soon joined by fellow Democrat Terry Mann, a former state lawmaker and one of the best political strategists around.

        On another side of the room were the Republicans, huddled over steaming cups of coffee and plotting strategy to knock off a well-known incumbent sitting just across the way .

        Mr. Otto was in a particularly good mood. He didn't have an opponent in the primary and is unopposed in the fall. He was throwing back a fancy coffee drink — big cup, whipped cream — and predicting big victories for the Dems this fall.

        His partymate Mr. Verst was more reserved. He had no primary opposition but faces a challenge in the fall from the guy sitting across the room — Republican Lloyd Rogers, the former county judge-executive.

        Mr. Rogers, who last held office in the early 1980s, has tried to make a few political comebacks over the years.

        But he was given some new life in the primary, squeaking out a 19-vote victory over Republican Mark Stoeber, who was making his first run for county office.

        The win, however, marks not just the Mr. Rogers' return but also that of two other Republicans — former county GOP head Norb Gettys and former district judge Tim Nolan.

        It was a surprise to see Mr. Gettys and Mr. Nolan skulling with Mr. Rogers. Both have been out of the political arena for the last few years — Mr. Gettys exiting after stepping down as head of the party in the mid-'90s and Mr. Nolan taking a leave after losing the 1998 county judge-executive primary.

        Mr. Nolan's judge-exec campaign was, by the way, managed by Mr. Rogers.

        Mr. Rogers plans to use his campaign to build support for doing away with tailpipe testing and for convincing the federal government to spend $10 million or more to build an Ohio River flood wall in Silver Grove.

        Mr. Rogers' campaign signs feature an ax, a throwback to his first judge-executive campaign, when he rode an “Ax the Tax” platform of doing away with a zoning tax to victory.

        But Mr. Otto already gave a hint of how the Democrats and Mr. Verst will respond. Speaking loud enough for the Republicans to hear, Mr. Otto said, “He's lying to people if he tells them he can get those things done.”

        Mr. Rogers claimed he can get those things done and talked about how he helped lead the effort to kill the region's first round of tailpipe testing back in the early '80s.

        Mr. Verst showed class when he came over to shake the Republicans' hands. But it still looks like this race could get interesting.
        Patrick Crowley can be reached at (859) 578-5581, or e-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com

Ky. dioceses lead U.S. in priest abuse lawsuits
Bishops revoke invitation to abuse victims' group
Priest target of 48 suits
Convenience attracts N.Ky. drug buyers
Foreign-born numbers double
Security won't be left to faith
Airport Days all about family
Ball planned for seniors, disabled
Charter school moves closer to 'home'
Deal near on high school site
Driver faces charges after traffic attack
House destroyed in fire
Man charged after shooting suspect in leg
McCrackin's spirit alive in West End
Obituary: Betty Ritterhoff, 91, loved history, dance
Saying goodbye to graffiti
Summit teaches love for users
Tristate A.M. Report
BRONSON: Ready & willing
CROWLEY: Ky. Politics
PULFER: Roxanne Qualls
SMITH AMOS: Since Sept. 11
Rebels expected attack, ex-hostage says
Work begins on shopping center
Dayton Peace Prize awarded
Democrats to elect new party head
One school stands tall on expanding view of evolution
Truckers keep eyes on road looking out for terrorists
Covington schools seek more diversity
Feds to inspect coal-waste site
Hitchhiker run over by truck
Kentucky News Briefs
Work on Ali center starting