Former Governor Accepts Beshear Invitation

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...In December 2007, former Governor John Y. Brown Jr., who served from 1979 to 1983, declined fellow Democrat Steve Beshear's offer to be an honorary co-chairman of Beshear's inaugural committee with other former governors, saying he didn't respect Beshear and didn't want to be part of it. Brown said he resented Beshear's unsuccessful 1987 campaign "distortions" of his administration's record. Brown and Beshear competed for the governor's office in the 1987 Democratic primary election, but they lost to Wallace Wilkinson. Last week, Beshear called Brown and asked him to be an honorary co-chairman of Kentucky's 59th governor's inauguration on December 13th with the other former governors. This time, Brown accepted. Brown says he worked with Beshear and first lady Jane Beshear on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games last year at the Kentucky Horse Park, and he likes Beshear and thinks Jane Beshear is super. The theme of the inauguration is "Kentucky Tomorrow."