KENTUCKY — On this week's 'In Focus Kentucky' program, Kentucky’s 39th state Treasurer, Mark Metcalf of Lancaster in Garrard County, is our guest.

Metcalf was sworn into this elected position in Jan. 2024 and the Republican is serving his four-year term as the state’s chief elected fiscal officer.

Treasurer Mark Metcalf is only the second Republican elected to this position since 1944.

"It means responsibility and accountability. We promised to do things during the election, such as being able to be transparent about everything we do, being able to account for every penny. We have $35 billion coming through our accounts across a year. And so we're able to even check individual cashier's checks and state paychecks and routine bill pay. We've been able to do a number of things from the get go that I hope will sustain the people's confidence in us. We also promised to be aggressive in returning unclaimed property to Kentuckians. And we've returned, as of last week, more than $10 million to Kentuckians who were missing their property," said Metcalf.

During this conversation, Metcalf also responds to yearslong conversations by some to abolish the entire constitutional office and why he disagrees with that position.

"It's a vital position in terms of, who are you going to have do it if you don't have an independent official collecting the money and paying it out? Who's going to do that? What office would not be conflicted for instance, would the auditor be able to audit him or herself regarding the same things we're doing? That's just one example," explained Metcalf.

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.