The stories involving Jim King and/or his daughter Judge King continue in the Courier Journal:
Jim King addresses divorce records
I married the first time when I was 18 years old and my first wife was 16 years old. We now realize we were not mature enough for marriage. Did the volatility of the marriage play itself out in the courts? To a degree it did.
Was there ever spouse abuse? Never.
Do I have regrets about this period of my life and my inability to sustain this relationship? You bet I do.
But there is one thing I know for sure: We both managed to move forward with our lives, repair any residual damage, co-parent our children and develop a friendship that today allows us to celebrate holidays and birthdays together with our family.
My former wife sought to seal our divorce records from the 1980s to protect the privacy of our family. I joined her in that endeavor because I believe her privacy and that of our children should come ahead of my political ambitions. Both the 1981 and 1988 files contain allegations of some form of abuse (as well as a proposed contempt order in 1988). However, in open court this week, my former wife, to her credit, acknowledged that those allegations were “embellished” and, in an interview, she told your reporter that I am a good man and a wonderful father.
I agree that all mayoral candidates should be firmly committed to full, open access to public records and information. That is why as president of the Metro Council I created the Committee on Government Accountability and as chairman of our city's Budget Committee I wrote an ordinance requiring all recipients of taxpayer dollars to make available all records pertaining to the use of such funds.
As for future court action on this matter, after reflection, I agree with your position. I will respect the final decision of Judge FitzGerald and will not be joining in any appeal to keep our records sealed.
JIM KING
Candidate for mayor
Louisville 40202
Jim King, a Democrat, represents the 10th District on the Louisville Metro Council. — Editor.
Other stories:
King acknowledges more abuse allegations
Louisville mayoral candidate Jim King acknowledged in a letter Friday to The Courier-Journal that there were abuse allegations in both his 1981 and 1988 divorce cases, but he said there was never any actual abuse.Judge rejects Kings' motion to seal divorce files
A judge Tuesday rejected a motion by Louisville mayoral candidate Jim King and his ex-wife, Rebecca, to seal their two divorce files from the 1980s, including one in which she accused him of physically, emotionally and verbally abusing her.
“This court on a weekly basis hears testimony from clients that is highly personal and very public,” Jefferson County Family Court Judge Patty Walker FitzGerald said after a hearing. “The fact is that divorce cases in this state are open.”
While FitzGerald refused to seal the cases entirely, she said she will allow lawyers for the Kings to argue Wednesday for withholding specific documents. She also said she will seal financial records and evaluations of the Kings’ children, which she said are confidential under current court rules.King, former wife move to seal divorce cases
King's divorce files [editorial]
Here are some letters to the paper supporting Jim King:
Councilman Jim King has been my representative on the Metro Council for the past five years. Together, we have worked on many issues impacting the quality of life in our neighborhoods. From economic development on Preston Highway and Bardstown Road to additional police protection in our neighborhoods, King has always been responsive to the needs of his constituents.
I am supporting him for mayor because of his dedicated advocacy for those he represents, and I don't care that he got divorced almost 30 years ago. I am proud of him for keeping his family together and co-parenting to ensure his children are cared for, but I will vote for him because he has the experience and skill to lead this city into greener pastures.
GARY ALLEN
Louisville 40217
What's the King story?
I've tried to keep up with The Courier-Journal's reporting of Councilman Jim King's efforts to keep his family matters private and out of the hands of enterprising and blindly ambitious journalists. I'm confused, however, by why this is even news.
I think family matters should remain private as long as there is no criminal activity that someone has been found guilty of. As far as I can see, allegations were made, but nothing was ever proven, and now King and his family are close and he and his ex-wife are good friends. So what's the story? I think that we should focus on the really important stuff rather than things that may or may not have happened 30 years ago.
LAUREN DUNKER
Louisville 40208
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