Just about everybody who's anybody in Kentucky politics goes to the the legendary Fancy Farm picnic in Graves County. The picnic is a fund raiser for St. Jerome's Perish Catholic. With 19,000 pounds of BBQ, it should be a fine event. Check out the AP story by Joe Biesk Fancy Farm

Personnel investigation may take center stage at Fancy Farm

JOE BIESK

Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. - There aren't any scheduled statewide elections this year, but the 125th Fancy Farm picnic Saturday is still likely to draw a large political crowd.

And the attorney general's investigation into the hiring practices of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration is likely to be the buzz.

"We expect that to be a hot and spicy issue at the barbecue," said Mark Wilson, one of the event's organizers.

The annual picnic in Graves County is a fund-raiser for St. Jerome's Parish, a Catholic church settled in the far western Kentucky community of Fancy Farm. Aside from politics, the picnic is also known for its bingo and barbecue.

Over the years, the annual event has evolved into perhaps Kentucky's premier grass-roots political event, providing politicians with a captive audience. Most candidates seeking a statewide office stop by for a shot to woo the crowd.

"It's steeped in a whole lot of tradition," Wilson said in a telephone interview. "This is kind of a must-do."

Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Attorney General Greg Stumbo are both expected to attend, Wilson said. Fletcher's office did not confirm his attendance, and the governor was noncommittal when asked last week.

Other elected officials expected to attend include: Secretary of State Trey Grayson, Auditor Crit Luallen, Treasurer Jonathan Miller, House Speaker Jody Richards and U.S. Rep Ed Whitfield, Wilson said. Some local politicians, state judicial candidates and others are also planning to show, he said.

This year's picnic should draw at least 10,000 people, said state Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, this year's master of ceremonies.

If past years are an indication, the political speeches could get fiery. And, Stumbo's investigation could stoke the flames.

The probe centers on whether the administration based Merit System personnel decisions on politics, rather than qualifications. The system, which has been in place since 1960, was designed to protect rank-and-file state employees from political influence.

A special grand jury in Franklin County has indicted eight current or former members of Fletcher's administration with misdemeanors stemming from the investigation. One of the eight has also been indicted on a felony count of alleged witness tampering.

Fletcher has called the investigation politically motivated and said he thought it marked the start of the 2007 governor's race. Stumbo has denied the claims, and maintained he's just doing his job.

"There's quite a bit of talk about it from the folks down here," Wilson said. "I expect it will be a pretty hot issue."

Steven Elder, 25, who owns and operates a Web site, http://www.fancyfarm.net, said he's probably attended more than 20 Fancy Farm picnics. Elder agreed the personnel investigation would likely take center stage on Saturday.

"I think that will be a hot topic," Elder said.

In previous years, heckling from the crowd has gotten, well, more than spirited. But organizers have asked Democrat and Republican party officials to keep the banter civil, Wilson said.

If not, there's always the local sheriff and his deputies to keep things in order, he said.

"We all want to have fun and be entertaining, but we're monitoring that very closely," Wilson said. "We would ask both parties to try to control that internally. If not we will control it."

Then again, for those not interested in heckling politicians, there's always the bingo, and 19,000 pounds of barbecued meat to think about. That's 9,500 pounds of barbecued mutton and 9,500 pounds of barbecued pork.

It's a big event, folks into the politics should check it out.

posted by Stithmeister @ 3:41 PM
 
0 Comments:


Post a Comment

<< Home