It would seem Bill Nightbert keeps falling deeper into a whole along with the rest of Fletcher's administration. Mark Chellgren with the AP had an excellent story about it. Check it out.


Records disclosed in Nighbert trial show more job talk

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Records disclosed in the case against acting Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert show a lot of time and effort went into ensuring the proper candidates were chosen to hire and promote in state jobs.

A 4-inch stack of documents was released Monday by Franklin County District Judge Thomas Wingate. The documents are evidence compiled by investigators and the special grand jury that is examining personnel practices in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration.

Not disclosed were transcripts of grand jury testimony by several current or former administration officials who were present at various meetings when plans were hatched to systematically fill state jobs with those favorable to the Fletcher cause, according to other court documents.

Nighbert, Deputy Secretary Jim Adams and former commissioner Dan Druen are charged with conspiring to improperly dismiss the Transportation Cabinet's deputy inspector general, Mike Duncan.

Defense lawyers say Duncan could be fired for virtually any reason because he was a probationary employee who had not yet gained the protections of the state Merit System. A prosecutor said the Merit System prohibits anyone from being fired for their political beliefs, just like their race, religion or disability.

The three were the first charged by the special grand jury. Six others have subsequently been charged with personnel law violations, all misdemeanors. Druen also faces 22 felony charges he tried to intimidate a witness or tamper with evidence, as well as more than a dozen other misdemeanors related to personnel laws.

The documents released Wednesday were more e-mails, memoranda, handwritten notes and other materials. Many contain recommendations for jobs from people outside the government, which prosecutors have said is entirely proper.

Former Franklin County Judge-Executive Teresa Barton, a Democrat who supported Fletcher and has subsequently been given a post in the administration, was particularly active in passing along personnel recommendations.

But among those in the administration, a handwritten note from Druen may be the kind of evidence prosecutors count on in future cases.

In a note to Basil Turbyfill, Fletcher's director of personnel and efficiency, Druen says a job candidate in Transportation was selected even though the individual "supported Chandler and Patton," an apparent reference to former Gov. Paul Patton and Ben Chandler, whom Fletcher defeated in 2003. An overlooked candidate and his family, "clearly supported Gov. Fletcher," Druen said.

Druen said he sent the job selection back to the local office. "This is a clear example of what we're curbing," Druen told Turbyfill, who is also charged with a misdemeanor personnel violation.

Turbyfill is the architect of the "personnel initiative" that prosecutor Scott Crawford-Sutherland has termed a "corrupt political machine" designed to circumvent personnel laws to install Republicans in state jobs.


Rsponse

This is just one more example of the group sent in to clean up the mess in Frankfort. I'm not that big a fan of Stumbo but if the door weren't opened, then he wouldn't have stepped in. It's obvious Fletcher's administration has done all these things wrong. Fletcher also has no "plausible deniability" in this case. If anyone suggests otherwise, they're ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

posted by Stithmeister @ 10:35 PM
 
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