Steve Beshear's Administration Losing, Firing Key Aides, So What Gives?
Beshear administration losing, firing key aides
By ROGER ALFORD
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's coal mine safety chief announced his retirement Tuesday, becoming one of the latest regulators within Gov. Steve Beshear's administration to retire, resign or be fired as he heads into his second term in office.
Johnny Greene, head of the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, is the second ranking mine industry regulator to announce his departure in recent days. The other, Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell, was fired late last week. Other recent departures include a horse racing official who was fired and a public service commissioner and a top child welfare official, both of whom announced their resignations last week.
A post-election staff reshuffling isn't uncommon, even for an incumbent governor like Beshear, who is set to begin his second term next week.
"There's always a little bit of house cleaning," said University of Louisville political scientist Laurie Rhodebeck. "It's a combination of people being asked to leave and people deciding it's time for them to move on. I think a lot of these people are just waiting for a comfortable opportunity to make the next step."
Energy and Environment Secretary Len Peters said in a statement that he tried to convince Greene to stay on in the job, saying "coal miners could not have had a stronger or more capable safety advocate."
"I am saddened by Johnny's decision to retire, despite my best efforts to persuade him to stay with us," Peters said.
Campbell had oversight of mine safety and licensing, mine permits, abandoned mine lands, mine reclamation and enforcement, forestry, and oil and natural gas drilling. His termination letter said he was dismissed "without cause."
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission chief steward John Veitch was fired earlier this month, and Kentucky Public Service Commission member Charlie Borders resigned effective last week.
Veitch, 66, appealed his dismissal, saying the state violated his rights by not giving a reason for the action and suggesting he's facing age discrimination.
Borders' resignation was effective last week. The Grayson Republican, who served 20 years in the legislature, confirmed the move on Tuesday.
Borders, 63, a longtime executive of Ashland Inc. and King's Daughter's Medical Foundation, had served about 2 1/2 years on the panel that decides utility rate increases. PSC spokesman Andrew Melnykovych said Borders had been strong commissioner.
"He's been an extremely dedicated and diligent commissioner who has worked very hard to understand the issues of every case," Melnykovych said.
Beshear had appointed Borders to the position amid criticism from Republicans who accused the Democratic governor of trying to weaken the GOP's majority hold in the Senate by appointing Republican lawmakers to posts that required them to leave the Senate.
Beshear appointed another Senate Republican, Dan Kelly of Springfield, to a judiciary seat around the same time that Borders went to the PSC.
Patricia Wilson, head of the agency that oversees child abuse cases, announced her resignation on Friday. She has been commissioner of the Department for Community Based Services since 2008, and will leave the job on Dec. 19.
Wilson didn't give a reason for the resignation in her letter, but the agency has been under public scrutiny in recent months for its handling of some child welfare cases.
By ROGER ALFORD
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's coal mine safety chief announced his retirement Tuesday, becoming one of the latest regulators within Gov. Steve Beshear's administration to retire, resign or be fired as he heads into his second term in office.
Johnny Greene, head of the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, is the second ranking mine industry regulator to announce his departure in recent days. The other, Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell, was fired late last week. Other recent departures include a horse racing official who was fired and a public service commissioner and a top child welfare official, both of whom announced their resignations last week.
A post-election staff reshuffling isn't uncommon, even for an incumbent governor like Beshear, who is set to begin his second term next week.
"There's always a little bit of house cleaning," said University of Louisville political scientist Laurie Rhodebeck. "It's a combination of people being asked to leave and people deciding it's time for them to move on. I think a lot of these people are just waiting for a comfortable opportunity to make the next step."
Energy and Environment Secretary Len Peters said in a statement that he tried to convince Greene to stay on in the job, saying "coal miners could not have had a stronger or more capable safety advocate."
"I am saddened by Johnny's decision to retire, despite my best efforts to persuade him to stay with us," Peters said.
Campbell had oversight of mine safety and licensing, mine permits, abandoned mine lands, mine reclamation and enforcement, forestry, and oil and natural gas drilling. His termination letter said he was dismissed "without cause."
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission chief steward John Veitch was fired earlier this month, and Kentucky Public Service Commission member Charlie Borders resigned effective last week.
Veitch, 66, appealed his dismissal, saying the state violated his rights by not giving a reason for the action and suggesting he's facing age discrimination.
Borders' resignation was effective last week. The Grayson Republican, who served 20 years in the legislature, confirmed the move on Tuesday.
Borders, 63, a longtime executive of Ashland Inc. and King's Daughter's Medical Foundation, had served about 2 1/2 years on the panel that decides utility rate increases. PSC spokesman Andrew Melnykovych said Borders had been strong commissioner.
"He's been an extremely dedicated and diligent commissioner who has worked very hard to understand the issues of every case," Melnykovych said.
Beshear had appointed Borders to the position amid criticism from Republicans who accused the Democratic governor of trying to weaken the GOP's majority hold in the Senate by appointing Republican lawmakers to posts that required them to leave the Senate.
Beshear appointed another Senate Republican, Dan Kelly of Springfield, to a judiciary seat around the same time that Borders went to the PSC.
Patricia Wilson, head of the agency that oversees child abuse cases, announced her resignation on Friday. She has been commissioner of the Department for Community Based Services since 2008, and will leave the job on Dec. 19.
Wilson didn't give a reason for the resignation in her letter, but the agency has been under public scrutiny in recent months for its handling of some child welfare cases.
Labels: Governor Steve Beshear
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 7:55 AM
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