Chris Pace (1999-2000)
Full Name: Christopher Jack Pace
Education: B.S. Political Science (2000), J.D. Northern Kentucky University (2004)
Year Elected: Junior
Involvment: College Republicans, Student Association (Student Senator, Speaker Pro Tem)
Similar to the Kremer brothers two decades prior, Chris Pace was following the footsteps of his elder brother when he was elected Student Body President in Spring 1999. However, unlike his brother, Chris's tenure was one that was host to a number of controversies.
Beginning with a narrow victory over his opponent, Pace and his running mate Rodney Tolliver were almost immediately censured by the Student Court due to alleged campaign violations. The Student Court stated that multiple complaints were submitted alleging that the Pace/ Tolliver ticket had campaigned within 25 feet of the open polls and exceeded their $300 spending limit. Along with their censure, the Student Court attempted to remove Pace and Tolliver’s position scholarships, a decision that was overruled by the Board of Regents on the basis that the Student Court had no authority to make such a decision.
Following this controversy, all was relatively quiet from the Student Association. Pace pursued positions in favor of a crosswalk across Lancaster Avenue and more flexibility for off campus housing, as well as opposition to a 7.5% increase in tuition and a plus/minus grading system. He would also spearhead constitutional reforms that would see the name of the Student Association changed to the Student Government Association, and expressed hesitancy by the decision of the Board of Regents to allow first semester freshmen to run for positions.
However, the largest controversy of Pace’s time at EKU would come with the decision to oust longtime Association advisor, Dr. Tom Myers, by the executive cabinet. This 8-2 decision made on February 12, 2000, was predicated on two lines of reasoning: Myers was going to be departing his position as advisor and Vice President of Student Affairs by the next year (a decision that was purportedly made against his will), and they no longer wished to have a member of the university administration be the advisor. As for the latter reason, Speaker Pro Tem and future Student Body President Nick Bertram stated that the advisor being the Vice President of Student Affairs could lead to the possibility for a conflict of interest, seeing as the Vice President would need to vote on all Student Senate legislation passed along to the Council of Student Affairs. Another future Student Body President, then Chair of Student Rights and close confidant of Pace, Ritchie Rednour, emphasized that this decision was professional, not personal. Pace would go on to express the same sentiment to President Robert Kustra, alongside the explicit wish for any future advisor to not be a vice president of the university.
The backlash to this decision was immediate, as most members of the student government were only made aware of this situation upon reading about it in the February 17, 2000 edition of The Eastern Progress. Members of the Student Senate accused Pace and the cabinet of poor leadership for not including members of the Student Senate in the decision process, or informing them once the decision was made. Don McNay, financial analyst, prominent author, and EKU SGA alumni also wrote on the issue stating that, “Outrage is the only way that I can describe how I feel… Not only was it a total lack of maturity, it was a total lack of class and decency for the student ‘leaders’ to act in the tasteless and reckless manner that they did.” Former Student Body President and current state representative, Ken Upchurch, spearheaded a donor revolt in response to this decision. Upchurch stated that he could pinpoint and cut off over $1 million donor dollars and, “that number grows each and every day that I'm on the phone." He would later write a letter to the Progress expressing his frustration with the decision alongside other SGA alumni such as former Student Body President Mike Lynch. Dr. Aaron Thompson, then an associate professor, was chosen as interim advisor until a permanent replacement could be found.
In the same issue that contained the backlash against this decision, Pace would face another controversy. It was revealed that Pace was in violation of the SGA constitution and state law (KRS 164.321) from the beginning of his first semester in office until late February 2000. It was revealed that Pace was only a part-time student taking less than twelve credit hours despite his claims to the contrary. Pace repeatedly told President Kustra as well as The Eastern Progress that he had the required hours through co-op courses, however the Registrar's office revealed that he was taking no such co-op classes. Within 24 hours of the initial investigation by Progress reporters inquiring into the matter, it was revealed that Pace had immediately registered for an additional five credit hours of classes, and now qualified as a full time student. Pace also tried to excuse these accusations by stating that he was dropped from a class without his knowledge. Following an investigation by university counsel in March, Pace was ordered to repay his SGA fall scholarship ($1,800) to the university.
The final controversy of Pace’s tenure would involve allegations against SGA Office Manager, Mary McGregor. Mary, who was running for Student Body President during that year’s election against Ritchie Rednour, was accused by Pace of falsifying time card records for work done in her role as office manager. Pace stated on multiple occasions that an investigation was being conducted by the university and Dr. Aaron Thompson, however both Thompson and university officials refuted these claims. In fact, there was no such public complaint against McGregor on record that started the ordeal. Pace attempted to remove McGregor from her position and to take up the role himself, to which Dr. Thompson stated that, “Chris, or no student volunteer, can remove a paid employee from their position.”
Pace stated that he intended to run for reelection, but later changed his mind.
Following his graduation from EKU, Pace would attend Northern Kentucky University’s Chase School of Law to obtain his law degree. Here he became involved with the NKU College Republicans and the NKU Student Government Association. Eventually he was elected as Student Body President at NKU in 2003. However, along with his experience in the position during his time at EKU, he also brought his penchant for controversy. In a retrospective piece on his tenure, The Northerner student newspaper stated that Pace would be leaving behind a “shady” legacy. The Northerner alleged that Pace was an opponent of transparency, played a key role in the impeachment and removal of a rival, designed a new constitution to exert more control over the finance of student organizations, and misplaced over $1,000 dollars of the SGA budget. The rival who Pace assisted in removing from office was SGA Director of Public Relations Andy Hixson, who would go on to succeed Pace as Student Body President following a landslide electoral victory.
However, on June 30, 2004, Pace allegedly broke into the NKU SGA office, stole all public records, disposed of them in a dumpster nearby, and vandalized the space. It was noted that several keyboards were missing the letters L, I, A, and R. Following an investigation, Pace was charged with tampering with public records, a class D felony that carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison. Others were suspected of being involved, however these investigations were never reported further. Pace was indicted by a grand jury on August 26, and was scheduled for arraignment in Campbell County Circuit Court on September 9. No further information on these proceedings or their outcome is publicly available.
Pace would return home to Winchester, Kentucky where he would chair the Clark County Young Republicans, and unsuccessfully seek the office of Clark County Clerk in 2016. He would publish a book alongside his mom titled, “Republican Convention Stories” in 2009. He would also serve as president of the Clark County Rotary Club and Clark County Bar Association. In 2018, Pace defeated a three term incumbent to be elected as Judge-Executive of Clark County. He would return to EKU following an appointment by Governor Matt Bevin to fill an uncompleted term on the Board of Regents, set to expire in June 2021. Pace would pass away in October of the same year due to complications from COVID-19. One of his pallbearers was Ritchie Rednour.