Christian and Todd County’s newest state legislator says his first day on the job was an exciting one.

Third District State Senator Whitney Westerfield says most of his family was able to make the trip to Frankfort with him for the opening gavel and says it was an exciting time.

Westerfield says it’s hard to gauge so early on, but he believes the absence of the sometimes divisive former Senate President David Williams may have created an atmosphere of more cooperation in the upper chamber.

The General Assembly will focus on administrative duties this week before taking a break and coming back in February to tackle the crux of the agenda for the 30-day session. Governor Steve Beshear appeared on Kentucky Educational Television this week and said he’d support coming back later in the year for a special session to tackle re-districting—an issue that took up several weeks in last year’s session before the approved plan was deemed unconstitutional.

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01/09/2013/am