Louisville Courier Journal Editorial: Say It Ain't So, Joe.
Say it ain't so, Joe
After watching the press conference in which Gov. Steve Beshear announced Transportation Secretary Joe Prather's resignation, those who care about cleaning up state government may be tempted to plead, “Say it ain't so, Joe.”
Mr. Prather has been that rare thing in Frankfort, a major player whose career hasn't been touched by scandal — an official who has exercised real power but is ending his service with an as-yet-untarnished reputation.
The challenge for Mr. Beshear now is to find someone who can replace Mr. Prather in the top Transportation job — not just as a capable administrator but also as a symbol of the new and better culture emerging at the cabinet.
For the moment, the job falls to Highway Engineer Mike Hancock, who wouldn't be a bad choice as Mr. Prather's successor. He was the secretary's good right arm in an effort to sweep with a new broom. He is an engineer by training. A career bureaucrat, he knows how things work. He can handle the tasks that always pile high, as another regular session of the General Assembly approaches. Among other things, he'll have to produce an updated road plan and create a budget for 2010-12. Especially when lawmakers are in town, the Governor needs cabinet heads who know the issues and are respected by members of the House and Senate.
Mr. Hancock also will be well-placed to ignore any distractions created by the Leonard Lawson/Bill Nighbert corruption trial, which is scheduled to begin about the same time the opening gavels falls for the legislative meeting.
The Governor sent the right signal by holding a press conference, rather than just releasing a statement, to announce the Prather departure. That emphasized his commitment to continuing the reforms: increasing competition for state contracts; letting concrete pavers into the bid process that asphalt firms have dominated; extending projects across county lines, when possible, to frustrate monopolies; pursuing “practical solutions,” which mean fitting real needs to road projects, instead of reflexively adding all the available bells and whistles.
Of course, the real key figure is the Governor himself. For decades, would-be cheaters and aspiring scammers have made end runs. Mr. Beshear must continue to shut the door against any such attempts to circumvent reform.
After watching the press conference in which Gov. Steve Beshear announced Transportation Secretary Joe Prather's resignation, those who care about cleaning up state government may be tempted to plead, “Say it ain't so, Joe.”
Mr. Prather has been that rare thing in Frankfort, a major player whose career hasn't been touched by scandal — an official who has exercised real power but is ending his service with an as-yet-untarnished reputation.
The challenge for Mr. Beshear now is to find someone who can replace Mr. Prather in the top Transportation job — not just as a capable administrator but also as a symbol of the new and better culture emerging at the cabinet.
For the moment, the job falls to Highway Engineer Mike Hancock, who wouldn't be a bad choice as Mr. Prather's successor. He was the secretary's good right arm in an effort to sweep with a new broom. He is an engineer by training. A career bureaucrat, he knows how things work. He can handle the tasks that always pile high, as another regular session of the General Assembly approaches. Among other things, he'll have to produce an updated road plan and create a budget for 2010-12. Especially when lawmakers are in town, the Governor needs cabinet heads who know the issues and are respected by members of the House and Senate.
Mr. Hancock also will be well-placed to ignore any distractions created by the Leonard Lawson/Bill Nighbert corruption trial, which is scheduled to begin about the same time the opening gavels falls for the legislative meeting.
The Governor sent the right signal by holding a press conference, rather than just releasing a statement, to announce the Prather departure. That emphasized his commitment to continuing the reforms: increasing competition for state contracts; letting concrete pavers into the bid process that asphalt firms have dominated; extending projects across county lines, when possible, to frustrate monopolies; pursuing “practical solutions,” which mean fitting real needs to road projects, instead of reflexively adding all the available bells and whistles.
Of course, the real key figure is the Governor himself. For decades, would-be cheaters and aspiring scammers have made end runs. Mr. Beshear must continue to shut the door against any such attempts to circumvent reform.
Labels: News reporting
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 12:32 PM
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