Published: November 04, 2009 09:33 am      

Trey Grayson speaks at Knox Chamber banquet

By Becky Manley / Staff Writer

The continued economic turndown has left the government’s resources strained so creativity and innovation will be needed to do more with less.

That was the message delivered by Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) at the Knox County Chamber of Commerce 2nd Annual Banquet Tuesday.

More than 70 people heard Grayson talk about how he has used transparency, partnerships and innovation to make the Secretary of State’s office run more efficiently.

When speaking about transparency, Grayson said his office lists any large purchases it makes online, a process he said makes officials more accountable and thrifty.

The process also makes it easier for the public to access information, resulting in fewer calls to his office which saves both the public’s and his employees’ time.

“It’s better for you all and it’s better for us,” Grayson said.

Partnerships can be critically important especially when resources are limited, Grayson said.

As an example, Grayson referred to the cooperation required among multiple police agencies that led to recent prescription drug crackdowns in more than 30 counties.

After talking about how he has expanded the Secretary of State’s Web site to make it easier for the state’s residents and businesses to find information and complete required forms, Grayson said such innovations results in savings for the taxpayer.

It wasn’t until he was concluding his speech that Grayson made a veiled reference to his bid for the U.S. Senate, telling the audience they could ask him questions about it afterward.

In August, Grayson announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by two-term Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY).

After his speech, Grayson said his campaign has raised about $1.2 million and has over $1 million on hand.

While people are concerned about government spending, Grayson said health care reform is the nation’s top issue.

While Grayson said he supports health care reform, he said he doesn’t support current proposals being promoted the most by the country’s legislators.

“It is the number one issue right now,” Grayson said.