OK, We Need To Come Home To Kentucky To Re-Visit This Matter. Read More Below.
Read more from the Herald Leader Editorial Board:
Friendly hire feels like a rerun
On one level, the Beshear administration simply carried on a questionable practice started by its predecessor: Put a political friend into a homeland security job and increase the salary.
Beshear's chief of staff Adam Edelen one-upped the Fletcherites, though, by introducing the element of personal financial interest.
When Ralph Coldiron was e-mailing Edelen last fall in a quest for cash and a state job, the two of them were business partners in an expensive house that wasn't selling.
If Coldiron's cash dried up, would Edelen have had to pay more to keep the project afloat? Or would they have turned to their third partner, lobbyist Bob Babbage to throw in more cash, deepening Edelen's obligation to the lobbyist?
Even without knowing all the particulars, this looks bad for all the parties.
Edelen should have had nothing to do with his cash-strapped partner landing a state job.
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear sailed into office on a clean-government pledge after Republican Ernie Fletcher ran aground on state hiring laws. With that backdrop, you'd expect Beshear's people to go strictly by the book. But you'd be wrong, as the unfolding details of the Coldiron hire attest.
It's vexing that the administration didn't know, or didn't care, about the law covering this particular appointment. In order to boost the pay by $20,000, Beshear's office circumvented the board that under law was supposed to establish the salary.
Coldiron was hired in October at a salary of $100,000 a year for coordinating an office that collects fees from wireless phone carriers to help improve 911 services around the state.
After Herald-Leader reporter John Cheves reported on the e-mailed pleas for a job to Edelen, Coldiron resigned Tuesday, saying he had become a distraction that was hurting the administration.
Coldiron had no special expertise for the job but neither did Fletcher's hire. Fletcher also circumvented the board to raise the salary, but that's no model and certainly no excuse for this administration.
The Fletcher hire was so inexperienced that an experienced staff assistant had to be hired at $63,756. Given the state's strapped financial condition, we vote for just letting her run the operation.
In contrast to Fletcher's people, the Beshear crew has acknowledged that the appearance of favoritism raises legitimate concerns.
Edelen last week dissolved his partnership with the two men and took steps to end another partnership with Babbage.
Beshear also ordered greater disclosure and scrutiny of possible conflicts of interest in his administration. He should add to that list a review of relevant laws before making new appointments.
In the end, Beshear and his chief of staff must recognize that integrity in government is more than just managing appearances.
Editor's comment: ALL I can do as a person who supported Governor Steve Beshear is to *SIGH* and hope that this is IMMEDIATELY resolved and NEVER be allowed to be repeated!
Friendly hire feels like a rerun
On one level, the Beshear administration simply carried on a questionable practice started by its predecessor: Put a political friend into a homeland security job and increase the salary.
Beshear's chief of staff Adam Edelen one-upped the Fletcherites, though, by introducing the element of personal financial interest.
When Ralph Coldiron was e-mailing Edelen last fall in a quest for cash and a state job, the two of them were business partners in an expensive house that wasn't selling.
If Coldiron's cash dried up, would Edelen have had to pay more to keep the project afloat? Or would they have turned to their third partner, lobbyist Bob Babbage to throw in more cash, deepening Edelen's obligation to the lobbyist?
Even without knowing all the particulars, this looks bad for all the parties.
Edelen should have had nothing to do with his cash-strapped partner landing a state job.
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear sailed into office on a clean-government pledge after Republican Ernie Fletcher ran aground on state hiring laws. With that backdrop, you'd expect Beshear's people to go strictly by the book. But you'd be wrong, as the unfolding details of the Coldiron hire attest.
It's vexing that the administration didn't know, or didn't care, about the law covering this particular appointment. In order to boost the pay by $20,000, Beshear's office circumvented the board that under law was supposed to establish the salary.
Coldiron was hired in October at a salary of $100,000 a year for coordinating an office that collects fees from wireless phone carriers to help improve 911 services around the state.
After Herald-Leader reporter John Cheves reported on the e-mailed pleas for a job to Edelen, Coldiron resigned Tuesday, saying he had become a distraction that was hurting the administration.
Coldiron had no special expertise for the job but neither did Fletcher's hire. Fletcher also circumvented the board to raise the salary, but that's no model and certainly no excuse for this administration.
The Fletcher hire was so inexperienced that an experienced staff assistant had to be hired at $63,756. Given the state's strapped financial condition, we vote for just letting her run the operation.
In contrast to Fletcher's people, the Beshear crew has acknowledged that the appearance of favoritism raises legitimate concerns.
Edelen last week dissolved his partnership with the two men and took steps to end another partnership with Babbage.
Beshear also ordered greater disclosure and scrutiny of possible conflicts of interest in his administration. He should add to that list a review of relevant laws before making new appointments.
In the end, Beshear and his chief of staff must recognize that integrity in government is more than just managing appearances.
Editor's comment: ALL I can do as a person who supported Governor Steve Beshear is to *SIGH* and hope that this is IMMEDIATELY resolved and NEVER be allowed to be repeated!
Labels: Keeping them honest, Kentucky politics
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 2:35 PM
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