Northern Kentucky's Newspaper, the Kentucky Post, expecting integrity endorses Steve Beshear finding him "clearly the better choice" over Fletcher.

Northern Kentucky's Newspaper, the Kentucky Post, endorses Steve Beshear finding him "clearly the better choice" over Fletcher. Here's what the paper had to say about its endorsement:

An act of faith

When Kentuckians in 1992 changed the state constitution to allow a governor two terms, expectations - and hopes - were high. The commonwealth's problems were then and remain today too deep to be overcome in four years: intractable poverty, an under-educated population, a degraded environment, an agrarian economy in need of transition and a manufacturing economy too anchored in the past.

Perhaps, voters thought, a second term would give a determined, visionary governor the time needed to make real progress.

So it is doubly disappointing in 2007 to realize that in the two instances so far the experiment with two terms has failed. Paul Patton, a Democrat, won a second term only to squander it with a tawdry sex scandal. The current governor, Ernie Fletcher, a Republican who rode into office on a promise to clean up the mess in Frankfort, initially seemed likely to be the second two-term governor. But that was before a hiring scandal derailed a promising start, and before Fletcher's inability to master Frankfort's political thickets became apparent.

On Nov. 6 Kentucky voters face the choice of returning Fletcher or replacing him with Steve Beshear, a seasoned Democrat with long experience in government and the private sector.

Beshear, we believe, is clearly the better choice.

Beshear is someone who understands the political process but focuses on solutions, and, more importantly, solutions arrived at after consulting widely with those who understand a problem. Too often, Fletcher - befitting, perhaps, his background as a physician and a fighter pilot - has governed with the attitude that he already knows the answers.

Beshear's record suggests he will seek allies, not enemies. Having served as a state legislator, state attorney general and lieutenant governor, in addition to having played major roles in running two banks and a large law firm, Beshear brings a clear-eyed understanding of the need for bipartisan cooperation and an open pledge to work toward that end if he is elected.

On the issues, Beshear brings a focus that is studied and steady. On education, an area of particular concern, he has concentrated particularly on early childhood. We read Beshear as a cautious progressive, as someone who believes in working by increments. He is not given to grand plans or pronouncements, but to sound goals and a pragmatic approach to reaching them.

A candidate for governor is tested in a campaign, and Beshear was tested when, last month, the Fletcher team concocted a phony scandal, suggesting a conflict of interest involving Beshear's law firm, which has been handling the liquidation of Kentucky Central Life Insurance Co. for the state, and suggesting that Beshear was therefore unfit to govern. But the record showed Beshear himself had done nothing improper, and that his firm had responded appropriately when a client affected by the Kentucky Central litigation had raised concerns about an earlier transaction. Beshear's response was studied and steady; he called a press conference where he cited facts and footnotes that proved his honesty. He was tested; he passed.

Contrast this with the scandal that ruined Fletcher's first term. The chairman of the Kentucky Republican Party likens it to running a red light. But it was no such thing. It was an orchestrated effort to replace Democrats with Republicans in jobs that were supposed to be protected by civil service laws. It doesn't matter if Fletcher was just doing what his predecessors had done. It was wrong. He had promised better. He was tested; he failed.

What are our expectations of a Beshear administration?

We expect integrity.

We expect fiscal responsibility. Fletcher has a decent record on this front, capitalizing on a strong economy to produce a string of budgets with healthy balances. But he also borrowed heavily for construction projects to make political peace in Frankfort, and he irresponsibly signed a no tax pledge that restricts his flexibility to respond to economic changes and the state's fiscal needs. (He probably broke that pledge when he raised the cigarette tax, although he insists his tax hikes have been offset by tax cuts, making the whole equation revenue neutral. Please.) Beshear says he doesn't intend to raise taxes; to his credit he also says he won't be boxed in by a bogus no-tax pledge. There is integrity in that answer.

We expect equitable treatment for Northern Kentucky. Fletcher has done well by Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. But Beshear too seems to have a genuine understanding of the role that Northern Kentucky is playing in the state's economy. He's read the Vision 2015 report and grasps its importance in guiding our growth. There is no reason to think he would turn his back on Northern Kentucky.

We expect that Beshear will in fact push for a vote to legalize casino gambling. We have not been enthusiastic about this, but neither is our head in the sand. Kentucky (and Ohio) dollars are going to Indiana by the carload.

Any endorsement is an act of faith. Those who embraced Fletcher as a fresh leader for Kentucky in 2003 must wonder what happened. It is our belief that Beshear is the fresh voice in 2007, and that in 2011 he will have shown that our faith in him was justified.

We urge a vote for Steve Beshear on Nov. 6.