John "Bam" Carney

Who is John "Bam" Carney?

John Mitchel Owen Carney, known as Bam Carney, is the Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from District 51 Taylor and Adair counties, Carney succeeded the retiring Republican Representative Russ Mobley, who was first elected in 2000.

Both Carney and Mobley have backgrounds in education, Carney as a basketball coach in area public schools and Mobley at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, where he supervised theatre arts for more than two decades.

A native of the Yuma/Speck Ridge community, Carney is the son of June Gabehart Carney and the late Don Carney of Elk Horn. His maternal grandparents were the late W.J. "Bug" Gabehart and the former Irene Eastridge of Casey Creek. His paternal grandparents were Stanley, Jr., and Christine Carney of Columbia, the seat of Adair County. Carney attended elementary school at Knifley and then graduated from Taylor County High School in Campbellsville. In 1991, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Berea College in Berea, with an emphasis in political science.