http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com Covering Kentucky politics and government Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/09/personnel-board-to-decide-ag-department-investigation-in-january/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/09/personnel-board-to-decide-ag-department-investigation-in-january/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:10:07 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19893 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/09/personnel-board-to-decide-ag-department-investigation-in-january/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/02/ag-department-director-charged-with-ethics-violation/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/02/ag-department-director-charged-with-ethics-violation/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:34:13 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19854 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/02/ag-department-director-charged-with-ethics-violation/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/farmer-questions-contribution-to-comer-in-ag-commissioner-race/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/farmer-questions-contribution-to-comer-in-ag-commissioner-race/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:57:39 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19524 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT – The Democratic campaign of Bob Farmer for state commissioner of agriculture claimed Wednesday that his Republican opponent, state Rep. James Comer, violated an ethics law by accepting a campaign contribution from a lobbyist. About an hour after the Farmer campaign made the claim, Comer’s campaign amended its campaign finance report to reflect that no lobbyist has contributed to it. The Farmer campaign said in a news release at 9:22 a.m. that Comer received a contribution from Robert Heleringer, a Louisville attorney and lobbyist, on Sept. 30.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/26/farmer-questions-contribution-to-comer-in-ag-commissioner-race/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/18/richie-farmer-determined-to-bounce-back-after-tough-year/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/18/richie-farmer-determined-to-bounce-back-after-tough-year/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:21:03 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19395 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories about candidates for lieutenant governor. FRANKFORT — Of all his 42 years, this one has been the toughest for Richie Farmer. “I’d be lying if I said anything different,” said the Kentucky basketball icon who is about to wrap up eight years as state agriculture commissioner and is hoping to become Kentucky’s next lieutenant governor. Farmer has endured personal upheaval and public pillorying while running on a ticket this year with Republican gubernatorial nominee David Williams. As his wife of 13 years filed for divorce this spring, the media and Democrats dogged Farmer with questions about spending in his state office. The controversial purchases range from refrigerators and televisions to hotel stays and conference trips. He claims all of them were appropriate to his job. While his office’s signature program, Kentucky Proud, has been praised for dramatically increasing the visibility of Kentucky-grown farm products, political opponents say the program spent too much money promoting Farmer.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/18/richie-farmer-determined-to-bounce-back-after-tough-year/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/17/comer-ppool-announce-bus-tour/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/17/comer-ppool-announce-bus-tour/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:28:39 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19353 By Beth Musgrave bmusgrave@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT -- Two Republican candidates for statewide office plan to embark Wednesday on a four-day "Corn and Coal" bus tour. State Rep. James Comer, who is running for agriculture commissioner, and Todd P'Pool, the Todd County attorney who is challenging Democratic incumbent Attorney General Jack Conway, announced Monday that they will make stops in 15 counties. Comer faces Democrat Bob Farmer in the Nov. 8 general election.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/17/comer-ppool-announce-bus-tour/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/11/ethics-panel-dismisses-complaint-against-gop-candidate-for-ag-commissioner/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/11/ethics-panel-dismisses-complaint-against-gop-candidate-for-ag-commissioner/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:22:31 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19226 FRANKFORT -- The Legislative Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to dismiss a complaint that alleged state Rep. James Comer, the Republican nominee for agriculture commissioner, improperly used a state employee in his campaign. The complaint was filed by the campaign of Comer's Democratic opponent, Bob Farmer. It alleged that a Republican legislative aide, Michael Goins, posted entries on Comer's Facebook page during state business hours, and that Goins owned a company, Blue Sky Communications, paid to work for Comer's campaign. The complaint also alleged that Comer, of Tompkinsville, deliberately destroyed key computer evidence related to the case. State law says a candidate may not use public funds, time or personnel for partisan political campaign activity. In its dismissal order, the commission said Farmer's complaint contained significant errors. Goins does not own Blue Sky Communications, his wife does, the commission said. Of the eight Facebook postings in question, only two appear to have been made by Goins during business hours, and there is no evidence he was paid to do so, the commission said.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/11/ethics-panel-dismisses-complaint-against-gop-candidate-for-ag-commissioner/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/10/comer-raises-more-than-650000-in-race-for-ag-commissioner/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/10/comer-raises-more-than-650000-in-race-for-ag-commissioner/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:23:26 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=19218 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT -- Republican James Comer has raised more than $650,000 from 100 of the state’s 120 counties in his bid to become Kentucky’s next agriculture commissioner. In papers filed Monday with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, Comer, a state representative from Tompkinsville, reported more than $400,000 on hand for his race against Democrat Bob Farmer, a Louisville businessman, in the Nov. 8 general election. Farmer has not yet filed his campaign finance report. A news release from Comer’s campaign said 28 of Comer’s colleagues in the state legislature have contributed to his campaign, including Democratic Rep. Melvin Henley of Murray.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/10/10/comer-raises-more-than-650000-in-race-for-ag-commissioner/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/14/farmers-campaign-for-ag-commissioner-files-ethics-complaint-against-comer/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/14/farmers-campaign-for-ag-commissioner-files-ethics-complaint-against-comer/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:21:43 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=18993 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/09/14/farmers-campaign-for-ag-commissioner-files-ethics-complaint-against-comer/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/16/nov-22-trial-date-set-in-richie-farmer-divorce-case/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/16/nov-22-trial-date-set-in-richie-farmer-divorce-case/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:32:38 +0000 Accountability Editor http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=18738 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — A judge set a Nov. 22 trial date Tuesday in Rebecca Farmer’s divorce case against state Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer. Franklin Family Court Judge Squire Williams also scheduled a mediation hearing Sept. 29 for the couple. Richie Farmer, a former University of Kentucky basketball star from Clay County, is a candidate for lieutenant governor on the gubernatorial ticket of Republican David Williams. Rebecca Farmer’s attorney, Brian A. Logan of Frankfort, wanted the trial date to be scheduled sooner. In response, the commissioner’s attorney, Richard Guarnieri of Frankfort, asserted in a hearing Tuesday that Logan wanted the trial before the Nov. 8 general election to get an advantage. Logan said the assertion was “completely untrue.”]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/16/nov-22-trial-date-set-in-richie-farmer-divorce-case/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/02/bob-farmer-announces-advisory-committee-for-campaign-and-farm-issues/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/02/bob-farmer-announces-advisory-committee-for-campaign-and-farm-issues/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:23:04 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=18586 FRANKFORT -- Bob Farmer, Democratic nominee for state agriculture commissioner, announced members of his "Future of Kentucky Agriculture Committee" on Tuesday to advise him on his campaign and agricultural issues. At a news conference in the Capitol Rotunda, Farmer, a Louisville advertising and marketing executive making his first bid for public office, said committee members are Lexington farmer Alice Baesler, state Department of Agriculture county fairs coordinator Stewart Gritton of Anderson County, Woodford County farmer Hoppy Henton, Fayette County horse farm owner Anita Madden and Democratic state Sen. Joey Pendleton of Hopkinsville. Gritton joined two other Democrats at the news conference -- former Montgomery County Judge-Executive B.D. Wilson and Richmond lawyer and farmer John Lackey -- who lost to Farmer in last spring's Democratic primary election. ]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/08/02/bob-farmer-announces-advisory-committee-for-campaign-and-farm-issues/feed/ 0