Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, once accused of hiring political supporters for state jobs and indicted for conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination, won the GOP primary for a second term Tuesday. Fletcher had a little more than 50 percent of the votes, compared to 2003 when 75 percent of Republicans supported him. Wonder why...
We've been updating you on Ernie Fletcher since the 16-month long investigation into his hiring practices and the first calls for his resignation started. After preemptively pardoning everyone in his administration who might be charged for hiring state employees based on their political affiliation, being arraigned, and more ethical violations, Fletcher managed to struck a deal with Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo. The criminal charges against Fletcher were dismissed, on which Stumbo later stated that it was `highly, highly unlikely that the governor would ever stand trial'. Nevertheless, a grand jury report released last November alleged the governor had approved a "widespread and coordinated plan" to skirt state hiring laws.
"Ethically challenged" Fletcher will run against Democrat Steve Beshear in the general election.
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Last month we told you about the arraignment of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. Accused of hiring political supporters for protected state jobs, Fletcher pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, and political discrimination.
Well, Governor Fletcher has recently reappeared in the news by restricting access to blogs from Kentucky's 34,000 state employees.
Administration officials claim that the move is an effort to curb excessive blog-reading in the workplace, and efficiency experts look favorably on the decision. In addition to blogs, other categories of websites have been blocked, including humor and sports pages.
But bloggers charge that the censorship is nothing more than a violation of the free speech of those critical of Fletcher's administration. After Mark Nickolas, owner of the Kentucky-based blog bluegrassreport.org, criticized Fletcher in a New York Times article, 1,000 state employees found that they could no longer access his blog. A constitutional fight looms ahead:
Central to the constitutional case - which Nickolas says he may challenge in court - is the question of whether blogs enjoy the same First Amendment protections as newspapers, which can be read on state computers. Blogs, too, discuss local policy and politics, and bloggers and state employees say they are protected by the First Amendment.
Undoubtedly, we will continue to hear more in the ongoing debate about the role of blogs in our political landscape.
Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, accused of using his political influence to maneuver the hiring of several political supporters, was arraigned on Friday. His lawyer entered pleas of not guilty on misdemeanor charges of consipracy, official misconduct, and political discrimination; Fletcher was in Florida on vacation and did not appear at his own arraignment.
Here's a short story from the Knoxville Times.
Common Cause Kentucky is not going to let an opportunity for reform get away. Last week Dave told you that Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher had been indicted on several charges of misconduct (among other violations).
Well, this week, Richard Beliles, the director of Common Cause Kentucky, filed a complaint with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance over Fletcher's misuse of a Republican-funded BlackBerry.
This may seem like a minor thing, but an ethical violation is an ethical violation, and especially when the Governor is under such heavy legal scrutiny, it's important not to let any wrong deed go unnoticed.
Common Blog
