Beshear names 2 to election board in nick of time

Gov. Steve Beshear picked a new Republican and a new Democrat to serve on the Kentucky Board of Elections just in time for last week's meeting.

Beshear tapped two experienced election experts, former Republican Party Chairman Bob Gable and George Russell, a former board of elections and registry of election finance agency official and a Democrat. Both are from Frankfort. The appointments were effective April 14.

As first reported by the Herald-Leader's "Political notebook," Beshear didn't make the appointments before April 1, as required by law.

The Election Board's next meeting was April 15. And because Beshear named the appointments April 14 both Gable and Russell were able to make it, confirmed Les Fugate, spokesman for Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

Grayson's office had urged Beshear to fill the two spots on the board before that April 15 meeting so that the new members could get caught up to speed before having to make crucial decisions at the board's next meeting -- the day of the May 20 primary.

- Ryan Alessi

Comments

[Cletus McGuire]

He made the appointments, so there's no big deal. Considering our legislature broke constitutional law last week by unplugging the clocks and staying in session for an extra hour or so, I find Beshear's not nominating someone "on time" but getting them in there before the next regularly scheduled meeting totally acceptible. I'm sure with the budget and all else going on when the Legislature was in town for the past 4 months wasting my tax-dollars, he had a few more important things on his plate than making appointments to committees. I think in the grand scheme of his duties, appointing people to committees should be the least of the least.