Seems like Mr. Henry, a two-term Democrat who plans to run for governor next year, has finally latched on to an issue with some legs — putting more nutritious food in school cafeterias.

        Mr. Henry, an orthopedic surgeon, has been pushing legislation that would have set nutritional standards for foods sold in school vending machines. Like most good bills in Frankfort, it died without a vote earlier this year.

Squeezing political juice

        But Mr. Henry, sensing the political juice one can wring out of an issue involving kids and what they eat, has stayed with the idea of putting better chow in school cafeterias.

        That's what landed the lieutenant governor in a two-page photo spread in Newsweek. In an article entitled “Fighting Big Fat” the magazine looked a growing campaign by doctors, lawyers, preachers, parents and politicians against junk food.

        Earlier this year, when he was still pushing for the school nutrition bill in Frankfort, Mr. Henry went on the road to promote passage of the legislation. During a stop at Lincoln Elementary in Dayton, he had a group of about 100 third- and fourth-graders very interested in what he was saying, mainly because he had a couple of cool props, including a big piece of synthetic fat the kids passed around, and a soft drink bottle one quarter full of sugar, which he said was about how much sugar is in a bottle of soda.

        Those kids had no idea who Steve Henry was before his presentation, but you bet some of them went home that day and told mom and dad about the guy with the fake fat.

        Will that translate to votes? Who knows, but it sure can't hurt. Of course Mr. Henry didn't mention to the kids that he once owned a stake in a Lexington fast food restaurant.

        No big deal. Mr. Henry, wife Heather and their young daughter, Harper, have spent so much time in Northern Kentucky recently they are practically living here.

        Their strategy is simple. While Northern Kentucky is considered a Republican stronghold there are still lots of Democrats living here. And in what is looking to be a hotly contested Democratic gubernatorial primary next year, all of the hopefuls are trying to mine what votes they can find in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.

A popular pol place

        Mr. Henry is not alone among Democrats in his courting of the local electorate. House Speaker Jody Richards of Bowling Green will be here Monday, working the crowd at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District Annual Dinner. Attorney General Ben Chandler was here last week, touting his big issue, the ability of people to block calls from telemarketers.

        And Louisville businessman Charlie Owen is expected to work the region for votes as hard as he did, if not harder, during his two failed runs for Congress.

        But it's Mr. Henry who has the skinny on too much fat in our kids' lunches.

        E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com

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