All Entries in the "Richie Farmer" Category

Board: Agriculture Department under Richie Farmer violated state hiring laws

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Department of Agriculture did not follow the law when it changed the jobs of two high-level workers under former Commissioner Richie Farmer, the state Personnel Board said Friday.

The board accepted a 57-page investigative report from its staff on the agriculture department’s decision to move two employees in late 2010 from politically appointed non-merit positions to merit jobs that would protect them from dismissal after Farmer left office at the end of 2011.

The report offered three recommendations on handling job changes but did not recommend any criminal charges.

Board executive Mark Sipek said he did not recommend criminal charges because the statute of limitations had expired, a new administration with Commissioner James Comer is in place, and one of the employees involved was fired by Comer earlier this month.

Nearly $500K of equipment missing from state Agriculture Department

By Janet Patton
jpatton1@herald-leader.com

About a half-million dollars in state property apparently has either disappeared from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture or cannot be properly accounted for.

According to inventory records obtained by the Herald-Leader, more than 100 state computers are missing, including some issued personally to former Agriculture Commissioner Farmer, who took office in 2004.

The state issued Farmer four new Dell laptops in 2010 and he has not returned any of them to the Department of Agriculture, according to the inventory records.

New Agriculture Commissioner James Comer was sworn in Jan. 2. On Wednesday, Comer — in a joint news conference with new state Auditor Adam Edelen — announced that Comer has asked Edelen to do a sweeping review of the Agriculture Department.

Personnel board to decide Ag department investigation in January

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Personnel Board will hear a report in January on whether agriculture department officials violated state personnel laws when two merit positions were created and given to political appointees.

Mark Sipek, the executive director of the panel, told the board at its meeting on Friday that staff had not yet finished it report on its investigation into alleged improprieties at the Department of Agriculture and recommended that the board take up the issue at its January meeting.

Richie Farmer divorce trial rescheduled for Dec. 29

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A trial in the divorce case of Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and his wife of 13 years has been delayed until Dec. 29 as the two sides try to reach an out-of-court settlement.

Richard Guarnieri, a lawyer for Farmer, said on Monday that the two sides agreed to delay a trial scheduled for Tuesday until the end of December. The parties had tried mediation before but could not agree to a settlement.

“We are going to try to go through mediation again,” Guarnieri said.

Rebecca Farmer filed for divorce from the two-term agriculture commissioner on April 5 while her husband was running for lieutenant governor with Senate President David Williams. The Republican duo lost to incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and running mate Jerry Abramson by 20 points on Nov. 8.

Personnel Board holds off on expanding Ag Department investigation

By Jack Brammer

jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT– The Kentucky Personnel Board is about to wrap up its investigation of job changes in the state Department of Agriculture but still has not decided whether to act on an anonymous request to expand the probe.

Mark Sipek, executive director of the board, told the panel Monday that it will receive a report at its Dec. 9 meeting on the investigation of the agriculture department’s decision to move two employees late last year from politically appointed non-merit positions to merit jobs, which would protect them from dismissal after Commissioner Richie Farmer leaves office at the end of this year.

Farmer lost a bid earlier this month for lieutenant governor. He was on the losing ticket with Republican gubernatorial nominee David Williams. He could not seek re-election this year as agriculture commissioner because of term limits.

At debate, candidates for lieutenant governor disagree on tax reform

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

With two weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election, the three candidates for Kentucky’s second-highest political office — lieutenant governor — appeared in their first and only debate Monday night before a statewide television audience.

Democrat Jerry Abramson, Republican Richie Farmer and independent Dea Riley argued issues ranging from taxes to coal but maintained a mostly civil tone throughout the hourlong debate on Kentucky Educational Television’s Kentucky Tonight.

The sharpest disagreement came when host Bill Goodman asked the candidates their opinions on the need for tax reform.

Richie Farmer determined to bounce back after tough year

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.

Beshear outraises Williams 4 to 1 from May 17-Oct. 7

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s re-election campaign has raised more than $9.5 million, it said Wednesday in a news release.

Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, collected more than $4.1 for the most recent filing period — from May to early October, according to disclosure forms filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.

The campaign reported having $1.07 million cash on hand. It said it has pre-purchased $1 million of television advertisements for the final weeks of the campaign. Election Day is Nov. 8.

Williams calls for elimination of corporate, personal income taxes in new jobs plan

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – Republican nominee for governor David Williams wants to eliminate state personal and corporate income taxes as part of his plan to create and retain jobs in Kentucky.

Williams’ plan, released Wednesday, also recommends several short-term tax suspensions designed to jumpstart Kentucky’s job market and several changes in the law, including allowing local voters to decide if their county should have a right-to-work laws. The plan also allows local voters to decide if local governments should have to pay the prevailing wage for public works projects.

Williams faces Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear and independent Gatewood Galbraith in the Nov. 8 general election.

The plan also calls for creation of a commission of economic and tax experts to come up with a new state and local tax structure that would receive an up-or-down vote in the legislature.

Farishes will hold fundraiser for Beshear-Abramson campaign

FRANKFORT – Father and son Will and Bill Farish of Lane’s End Farm near Versailles will host a fund-raising reception Friday at their thoroughbred race horse breeding farm for the Democratic ticket of Gov. Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.
The reception will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the farm’s Stallion Barn on Midway Road.

The invitation to the fundraiser says couples Will and Sarah Farish and Bill and Kelley Farish suggest a contribution of $1,000 to attend.