Rep. Keith Hall failed to disclose wife’s state job
State Rep. Keith Hall, D-Phelps
By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT — State Rep. Keith Hall, D-Phelps, has failed for seven years to disclose to a state ethics panel that his wife holds a part-time salaried position with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts.
Stephanie Hall is paid $7,200 a year, according to the AOC. As one of three trial commissioners in Pike District Court, Stephanie Hall is sometimes asked to sign paperwork — such as warrants or protective orders — if one of the two judges cannot easily be reached. She is not a lawyer.
Like all lawmakers, Keith Hall is required every year to list his household’s sources of income with the Legislative Ethics Commission so that ethics officials and the public can be aware of possible conflicts of interest as he acts in the General Assembly.
But Keith Hall has failed to list his wife’s state job on his financial disclosure reports, listing her only as an officer in businesses that he owns. She was hired as a trial commissioner in April 2002 by Judge Kelsey Friend Jr.
The omission was not intentional, Keith Hall said in an interview. Until the Herald-Leader inquired, he said, it did not occur to him to disclose it.
“I just don’t have no answer for that,” he said. “It might have just been an oversight that I need to correct.”
Later, Keith Hall issued a formal statement apologizing for his error and pledging to file an amended report that includes his wife’s state job.
As a member of the House budget committee, Keith Hall helps write and votes on the state budget, including the judicial budget. For example, in 2006, Hall helped allocate $28.4 million for a new Pike County courthouse to replace one built in 1990. Pike County judges say the existing courthouse is in poor shape, so they need a new one.
The Legislative Ethics Commission can fine lawmakers up to $1,000 for failing to file an accurate financial disclosure report. But as a practice, it has not issued such penalties when inaccuracies are caught, said Anthony Wilhoit, the commission’s executive director.
“We have to give them a chance to correct it,” Wilhoit said.
Keith Hall’s financial disclosure reports in the past year have raised a number of questions about possible conflicts of interest in his legislative actions.
Hall pushed a bill in last winter’s General Assembly to cut medical safety standards for the kind of small coal mines that he owns in Eastern Kentucky, including one mine that had been cited for the type of violation his bill would have abolished. After Hall battled with labor unions, the bill died awaiting a House floor vote.
In August, the Herald-Leader reported that Hall has earmarked millions of dollars in the state budget for Mountain Water District in Pikeville, including $8.1 million in the current budget, while one of his companies collected nearly $3.2 million from the water district to build sewer lines funded by the state.
His three sewer projects cost an average of 58 percent more than he originally bid for them, with one still under way.
Filed Under: Keith Hall • KY General Assembly
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
Interesting????
Does any Democrat pay taxes ?? They seem to forget.
I think he is a democrat – so he will be OK. Obama has 3 folks on his economic recovery team that do not pay taxes. No big deal–???
If he were a Republican he would be shopping at Kmart, where boys pants are always half off.
he needs to be checked by a doctor seven years is a long time to forget but its ok for eastern kentucky
Let’s see now. The state school board forced W. Keith to resign from the Pike board after he was caught trying to influence hiring. How many times does the Herald-Leader have to catch him finagling state money for his buddies and himself before our limp-wristed attorney general forces him to quit? Or maybe we just need to boot Wilhoit out the door and get someone who will do the job?
There is rampant civil rights abuse taking place in Pike County through the use of trial Commissioners who do not have law degrees. They will sign anything if the person requesting the search warrant, arrest warrant, or EPO is politically connected.
This includes abuse that is suppose to happen in the future or that marching in public with a sign is domestic abuse. This is no joke.
AOC knows all about the corruption taking place with the Pike trial commissioners and is doing absolutely nothing about it.
Need a search warrant without probable cause or even a description of what is to be search? Getcha a Pike County trial Commssioner. Or you want to make sure you get custody of your kids- make up any old story even one that doesn’t state any abuse? Getcha a Pike county trial commissioner.
Better yet, do you need an arrest warrant in another county? Getcha a Pike County Trial Commissioner. Just be politically connected and you will get any judicial signature you want with full civil immunity from the bad act. Folks, its that bad in Pike County.
How much worse can KY politics get? I once read somewhere that KY was in the top 5 most corrupt states in the country, but as anyone looked into it lately? I bet we could give IL a run for it’s money.
As a liberal and pretty loyal Democrat, I don’t think people like Mr. Hall have any place in our party – dishonest dealings, shady business practices and shameful conflicts of interest – he sounds like a Republican!
Angela Walker – I checked
This NY Times link shows Kentucky based on “Per Capita” “The Gulity” Kentucky ranks #9
This NY Times link shows Kentucky based on “Survey of Journalists” Kentucky ranks #7
Either way we are ranked in the top 10 in another bad national category
Sorry — Here’s the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/weekinreview/14marsh.html
Keith Hall has had to tick off someone at the HL. He can’t take a bathroom break without it being statewide news. Its a joke. He is a good guy, a good representative, and a good busness man. HL, you complete rag of a extreme left agenda, leave REP. Hall alone.
And we wonder where our tax money is going. A lot of it is going to line the pockets of crooked politicians.
It’s a race between the H-L and Jacob Payne as to which one hates Keith Hall more.
CSI, thanks! I found another one that ranked us 6th! either way for such a small state pop. wise it’s pathetic.
don’t foret the money he had put in the budget so his daughter-in-law would have a nice 50k a year school job. (new info)
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