RELEASED: July 11, 2002

DANVILLE, KY—The way the politicians were being peppered with questions, one would have thought they were in a room full of reporters. Kentucky legislators Mary Lou Marzian and Richie Sanders weren't being interviewed by the press corps, but rather by the Governor's Scholars on Centre College's campus.

Rep. Marzian (D) of Jefferson County and Senator Sanders (R) of the 9th District were here Monday as part of the GSP's "Legislators-in-Residence" program.

The legislators joined students in class before having a question-and-answer session at the college's Old Carnegie building. Topics included the state's budget problems (and how they compare to Tennessee's budget woes), the Louisville-Jefferson County merger, health-care issues and whether or not slot machines should be allowed at Kentucky horse-racing tracks.

Marzian lauded the GSP and its students.

"I need to be a Governor's Scholar," she said, "because you learn so much. In a short time, I learned a lot in the Historical Analysis class I attended this morning.

"I think this (the GSP) is one of the best things we've done. These programs are so important because you all are the future. I'm happy to have our taxes go to programs like this one."

Sanders advised the scholars to become politically active, and suggested they read "All Politics Is Local" by the late Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-86.

Last year State Representative and House Majority Leader Greg Stumbo of Prestonsburg and Senator Lindy Casebier of Bullitt County attended the inaugural "Legislators-in-Residence" program.

Mike Duncan, the National Committeeman for the Republican Party of Kentucky, visits the scholars later this summer. He's tentatively scheduled to speak next week. The Duncan convocation is titled "The White House Files."

The GSP on Centre's campus is directed by Clarence Wyatt, associate professor of history and special assistant to the president at Centre College.

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