Courier Journal Finds Something Else To HIT Richie Farmer With, This Time It's Mini Refrigerators. Petty, Petty, Petty!
Richie Farmer kept state-purchased refrigerator in home office, spokesman says
Written by Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, KY. — The state Department of Agriculture bought two small refrigerators within a period of a few months in 2010, one of which was kept in Commissioner Richie Farmer’s home office until earlier this year, a department official said.
Bill Clary, spokesman for the department, said one of the $179 Frigidaire refrigerators was in Farmer’s home from the day it was purchased in February 2010 until May of this year, when Farmer moved his belongings from that house after his wife filed for divorce.
It was then moved to the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters in Frankfort, where Clary showed it to a Courier-Journal reporter Thursday.
But Clary said Thursday, and again Friday, that he doesn’t know the whereabouts of the second Frigidaire.
“I haven’t found it yet,” he said Friday.
Farmer, who is near the end of his second term as agriculture commissioner, is the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on a slate headed by Senate President David Williams, the GOP candidate for governor.
Clary defended the expenditure of taxpayer funds for a refrigerator at Farmer’s home, where, preumably, there’s also one in the kitchen.
“I would say that the commissioner believes that it helps him do his job better,” Clary said. “... It was in his home office from which he worked. It was not for his personal use. He also had a computer and a fax machine there too.”
Clary said that during early 2010 Farmer was “having some issues with his back, so he was spending more time in the house.”
The question of whether the Agriculture Department bought a refrigerator that was delivered to Farmer’s house first surfaced in an anonymous complaint sent to the Kentucky Personnel Board, which discussed it at an Aug. 12 meeting.
Most of the complaint dealt with a personnel move in the Department of Agriculture, but it also alleged that department employee David Fint had been directed by Farmer to buy a refrigerator at Lowe’s on his state credit card and deliver it to Farmer’s residence.
The Personnel Board did not act on that allegation in the complaint because it had no juristiction over such matters.
Clary initially responded to the complaint by saying that the allegation concerned a “dorm refrigerator” that was in Farmer’s office at the department. Beyond that, Clary said, “I’m not going to comment on anonymous office gossip.”
The Courier-Journal filed a request under the Kentucky Open Records Act, which turned up records of purchases of two Frigidaire compact refrigerators in 2010. Each is silver, 4.4 cubic feet in size, cost $179, and was purchased at Lowe’s in Frankfort.
The first was bought on a state credit card on Feb. 22, 2010, by Fint. An unsigned handwritten note attached to the Lowe’s receipt says, “fridge purchased for Commissioner Farmers office to replace broken (non-working) one!”
The released records also include an e-mail sent by Fint to department officials two days after the purchase seeking permission from deparment officials “to purchase a replacement small refrigerator for the Commissioners office...”
The second Frigidaire was bought on a state credit card on Aug. 11, 2010, by department employee Robert Meade. A document attached to this receipt said it also was “for the Commissioner’s Office.”
Fint declined comment, referring questions to Clary.
On Thursday, when he showed a reporter the refrigerator in Farmer’s office, Clary said he did not know if it had ever been at Farmer’s residence. But he said the refrigerator “has been here a bunch of months. ... It’s been here for ages.”
On Friday Clary said, after researching the matter, that indeed the refrigerator Fint bought in February 2010 “was taken to the commissioner’s home office” and remained there until May of this year.
Farmer’s wife, Rebecca Ann Farmer, filed for divorce in April, and the following month he moved his belongings out of the marital residence.
At that time, Clary said, the refrigerator was moved to Farmer’s office at the Department of Agriculture because Farmer “doesn’t have an office in his new residence.”
Clary said the difficulty in finding the second refrigerator has been complicated by the fact that he and other department officials have been at the state fair in Louisville nearly all week. The fair ends Sunday.
“When I get back to Frankfort Monday I will search for it,” Clary said.
Written by Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, KY. — The state Department of Agriculture bought two small refrigerators within a period of a few months in 2010, one of which was kept in Commissioner Richie Farmer’s home office until earlier this year, a department official said.
Bill Clary, spokesman for the department, said one of the $179 Frigidaire refrigerators was in Farmer’s home from the day it was purchased in February 2010 until May of this year, when Farmer moved his belongings from that house after his wife filed for divorce.
It was then moved to the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters in Frankfort, where Clary showed it to a Courier-Journal reporter Thursday.
But Clary said Thursday, and again Friday, that he doesn’t know the whereabouts of the second Frigidaire.
“I haven’t found it yet,” he said Friday.
Farmer, who is near the end of his second term as agriculture commissioner, is the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on a slate headed by Senate President David Williams, the GOP candidate for governor.
Clary defended the expenditure of taxpayer funds for a refrigerator at Farmer’s home, where, preumably, there’s also one in the kitchen.
“I would say that the commissioner believes that it helps him do his job better,” Clary said. “... It was in his home office from which he worked. It was not for his personal use. He also had a computer and a fax machine there too.”
Clary said that during early 2010 Farmer was “having some issues with his back, so he was spending more time in the house.”
The question of whether the Agriculture Department bought a refrigerator that was delivered to Farmer’s house first surfaced in an anonymous complaint sent to the Kentucky Personnel Board, which discussed it at an Aug. 12 meeting.
Most of the complaint dealt with a personnel move in the Department of Agriculture, but it also alleged that department employee David Fint had been directed by Farmer to buy a refrigerator at Lowe’s on his state credit card and deliver it to Farmer’s residence.
The Personnel Board did not act on that allegation in the complaint because it had no juristiction over such matters.
Clary initially responded to the complaint by saying that the allegation concerned a “dorm refrigerator” that was in Farmer’s office at the department. Beyond that, Clary said, “I’m not going to comment on anonymous office gossip.”
The Courier-Journal filed a request under the Kentucky Open Records Act, which turned up records of purchases of two Frigidaire compact refrigerators in 2010. Each is silver, 4.4 cubic feet in size, cost $179, and was purchased at Lowe’s in Frankfort.
The first was bought on a state credit card on Feb. 22, 2010, by Fint. An unsigned handwritten note attached to the Lowe’s receipt says, “fridge purchased for Commissioner Farmers office to replace broken (non-working) one!”
The released records also include an e-mail sent by Fint to department officials two days after the purchase seeking permission from deparment officials “to purchase a replacement small refrigerator for the Commissioners office...”
The second Frigidaire was bought on a state credit card on Aug. 11, 2010, by department employee Robert Meade. A document attached to this receipt said it also was “for the Commissioner’s Office.”
Fint declined comment, referring questions to Clary.
On Thursday, when he showed a reporter the refrigerator in Farmer’s office, Clary said he did not know if it had ever been at Farmer’s residence. But he said the refrigerator “has been here a bunch of months. ... It’s been here for ages.”
On Friday Clary said, after researching the matter, that indeed the refrigerator Fint bought in February 2010 “was taken to the commissioner’s home office” and remained there until May of this year.
Farmer’s wife, Rebecca Ann Farmer, filed for divorce in April, and the following month he moved his belongings out of the marital residence.
At that time, Clary said, the refrigerator was moved to Farmer’s office at the Department of Agriculture because Farmer “doesn’t have an office in his new residence.”
Clary said the difficulty in finding the second refrigerator has been complicated by the fact that he and other department officials have been at the state fair in Louisville nearly all week. The fair ends Sunday.
“When I get back to Frankfort Monday I will search for it,” Clary said.
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