Pol Watchers

Beshear to make major funding announcement regarding Eastern State Hospital

Gov. Steve Beshear will make a major announcement Friday regarding funding for a new Eastern State Hospital at a 1 p.m. news conference in the Capitol.

The announcement deals with "finding some alternative mechanism of funding it other than the state funding it," said Rep. Jesse Crenshaw, a Lexington Democrat whose district includes the aging state psychiatric hospital on Newtown Pike.

Crenshaw, who did not attend a briefing of Central Kentucky lawmakers held after the House adjourned for the week Friday morning, said the proposal likely calls for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to issue bonds for the project.

"It's a big deal," said Rep. Don Pasley, D-Winchester, who did attend the briefing but declined to provide further details.

Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry and a representative from the University of Kentucky are scheduled to speak at the news conference.

Advocates for the mentally ill and the organization that runs Eastern State have been lobbying for years to replace the second-oldest psychiatric facility in the country. Beshear's proposed budget contains money to plan for the eventual replacement of Eastern State, but not the estimated $130 million needed to build the facility.

The hospital is operated by the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board.

Last summer, state officials stood on the steps of Eastern State's administrative office and pledged that a new state hospital would be built, but the prospect of a groundbreaking in the next few years turned bleak after the state's budget woes became clear in December.

Check Kentucky.com and Saturday's Herald-Leader for more on this story.

- John Stamper

Lexington council and administration goals for next year

The Urban County Council and Mayor Jim Newberry’s administration outlined their goals for next year Monday, during the third joint retreat since January.

Council members discussed their top concerns and projects for the next year. The projects that all of the council members are concerned with are:

• Downtown revitalization, particularly as it relates to economic development.
• Environmental issues such as storm water and sanitary sewer issues. Those projects will partly be determined by an upcoming settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding violations of the Clean Water Act.
• Budget issues related to revenue concerns and the underfunding of the police and fire pension system.
• Nuisance items such as work on the noise ordinance, dog issues, newsracks and litter.

The administration’s priorities for the next six months are:

• Adopt a city lobbyist registration ordinance. A draft ordinance should be distributed to the council by the end of the year.
• Implement sanitary sewer fee increases once the city reaches a settlement with the EPA.
• A revision of the Planning Commission appeals process. The proposed revision would limit Planning Commission appeals to a 90-minute hearing — 45 minutes for each side — before the council.
• Develop a proposal for a taxpayer-subsidized scholarship program to provide scholarships to high school graduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, math or in teaching those subjects. Once a program is developed, it could be considered for funding during the next fiscal year that begins July 1. Newberry pushed the scholarship program during his mayoral campaign.
• Minor changes to the city’s standard purchase of service agreements with its partner agencies. The changes would include language that would allow the city to audit the books of the partner agencies.
• Review and evaluate the city’s existing boards and commissions to determine which ones are needed and which ones could be removed.
• Complete the management audit which is currently about halfway done.
• Preliminary design approval for a permanent emergency operations center.
• Develop the infill land bank program.

The council and administration also discussed progress that has been made in meeting the six priorities that were set during the January retreat.

- Michelle Ku

Fletcher blasts recommendations by Lexington immigration commission

Gov. Ernie Fletcher on Tuesday criticized the recommendations of a Lexington commission that has been studying immigration issues.

In a statement, Fletcher’s re-election campaign said the commission’s recommendations “would grant license for more uninsured motorists on the road, favor releasing criminal illegal immigrants back into our communities instead of deporting them, provide potential terrorists with the opportunity to receive driver’s licenses, and make it easier for illegals to vote.”

The commission, formed in June by Mayor Jim Newberry to review a number of immigration-related issues, voted on its key recommendations Monday night.

Among them, the commission voted to recommend that the city issue identification cards to undocumented immigrants and that Lexington leaders lobby state legislators to allow immigrants illegally in the country to obtain Kentucky driver’s licenses.

The nine-member commission could deliver its final report to Newberry by the end of the week.

In its eight recommendations, the commission also said that Lexington agencies, including police, should not participate in the 287g program that allows for federal immigration training for state and local officials. The subject of police enforcement of immigration laws dominated many of the public forums held by the commission.

In his statement, Fletcher said the commission’s recommendations would amount to “amnesty” for illegal immigrants.

“Kentucky will not be a sanctuary state on my watch,” Fletcher said in the statement. “Implementing these recommendations would place a greater burden on Kentucky’s taxpayers when we should be working to end illegal immigration.”

For more reaction to the commission’s recommendations, see Wednesday’s Herald-Leader.

UPDATE 4 p.m.: Democrat Steve Beshear's gubernatorial campaign just issued this statement:

The need for the Mayor of Lexington to form a commission advising him and city officials of how to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants in his city underscores the importance of why we need a national response to address the issue of illegal immigration.

Those, like Ernie Fletcher, who served in Congress for years and did not provide a solution to the problem have no business preaching reform. In fact, as a Congressman, Ernie Fletcher voted for legislation that would have provided amnesty for some illegal aliens. We need the federal government to address these issues and stop dumping the burden on states or, in this case, our cities. 

As Steve Beshear has said before, illegal means illegal and illegal immigrants should not be afforded the same rights as legal citizens of this state. He believes we must uphold our laws and he expects everyone in our country to do so as well.

- Herald-Leader Staff Report

Musical parking spaces

When a chunk of concrete fell in the Urban County Government Center parking garage three weeks ago, several Urban County Council aides were temporarily re-assigned parking spaces in the Phoenix Building garage.

But the walk from the Phoenix Building garage, which fronts Vine Street but is located less than 100 feet behind the government center, apparently proved to be too far.

To eliminate the aides’ walk from the uncovered, second floor of the Phoenix garage, three high-ranking members of Mayor Jim Newberry’s administration have temporarily given up their parking spaces so that members of the council staff can park in the protected shelter of the government center garage.

Since Aug. 24, Shaye Rabold, Newberry’s chief of staff, Kimra Cole, the city’s general services commissioner and Charlie Boland, an aide in the mayor’s office, have been making the walk from the Phoenix garage to the government center.

Meanwhile, five council aides — Georgetta Gill, aide to Councilman Tom Blues;  Lori Henry, aide to Councilman Jay McChord; Melynda Milburn, aide to Councilwoman Linda Gorton; Joe Schuler, aide to Councilman George Myers; and Scott Seymour, aide to Councilman Ed Lane — have been moved from the Phoenix garage to the third floor of the government center garage.

Rabold, Cole and Boland voluntarily vacated their parking spaces after Gorton asked if a rotation could be set up so that every member of the council staff could have a turn parking in the government center garage while repairs are being made.

Since it was unclear how long sections of the parking garage would remain closed, the decision to voluntarily give up the parking spaces made the most sense, Rabold said. “It was the easiest, quickest solution and least confusing for those that had to be in the rotation.”

When the chunk of concrete fell, the city cordoned off a section of the garage on both the second and third floors. In all, about 30 parking spaces were affected.

Five council aides and three council staffers who parked on the second floor, were among those that were temporarily re-assigned spaces.

The city plans to replace the entire block of concrete where the hole is located. The block on the second floor of the government center garage is 24 feet by 11 feet.

It’s unclear when work to replace the block will begin.

The majority of city employees who work at the government center park at the Transit Center garage, which is located across Vine Street.

- Michelle Ku

Newberry heading to Deauville, France

Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry is on his way to Deauville, France today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lexington-Deauville sister cities relationship.

“We weighed the pros and cons of him attending because it’s never politically popular to travel,” said Shaye Rabold, Newberry’s chief of staff. “But given the special nature of the 50th anniversary and the fact that the French delegation will be coming here later this fall, we ultimately decided it was necessary for him to attend on behalf of Lexington.”

Newberry will return from Deauville, a seaside resort on the Normandy coast about 100 miles northwest of Paris, on Monday.

“It’s a very quick trip,” Rabold said. “He asked when he absolutely needs to be there in order to represent Lexington and deliver remarks and that was Friday, Saturday Sunday.”

The trip to Deauville will cost taxpayers $1,403.64, the price of airfare. Newberry’s other costs — including lodging, food and transportation in Deauville — are being paid for by the Deauville Sister Cities program, Rabold said.

Newberry’s wife, Cheryl Ann, is accompanying him on the trip, but is paying her own way, Rabold said.

The Newberrys will be joining up with Lexington’s sister cities delegation, which left for Deauville this past Tuesday.

Besides Newberry, three other city officials are on the trip: Urban County Councilwoman Linda Gorton, General Services Commissioner Kimra Cole and Mary Wathen, the city’s liaison to the World Games Foundation Board.

Gorton, Cole and Wathen have all paid their own way, Rabold said. Gorton’s husband, Charles, is also on the trip. Cole and Wathen serve on Lexington's Sister Cities Commission.

Former Vice Mayor Mike Scanlon and his wife, Missy, and David Lord, president of the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau, and his wife, Sara, are also part of the delegation to Deauville.

The price of the trip is $2,750 a person for double occupancy.

The 11-day sister cities visit includes five days in Deauville, which coincides with the Deauville American Film Festival, two days in Brussels and Bruges in Belgium and two days in Paris.

- Michelle Ku

Whitehead to help fund picnic

Jay Whitehead, Lexington’s former chief administrative officer, plans to help pay for an employee picnic being organized by the Civil Service Employee Association to replace one that was canceled by Mayor Jim Newberry.

The picnic, which is scheduled for Sunday at Jacobson park, will substitute for the traditional Friday-before-Labor Day picnic the city usually throws as an employee appreciation event.

Newberry canceled the employee appreciation picnic because he did not feel it was the best use of taxpayer dollars. Food for the picnic, which was usually planned for 1,000 of the city’s 3,500 employees, cost $10,000.

Whitehead said he does not know how much money he will donate to help pay for the picnic.

Former Mayor Teresa Isaac, who was defeated by Newberry last November, and some of Whitehead’s former commissioners may also contribute money to the picnic, he said.

“Just because we don’t work there any longer, it doesn’t mean these people aren’t our family,” said Whitehead, who worked for Isaac and now works in the state’s Department for Environmental Protection.

Whitehead said he contacted Jack Barnett, president of the Civil Service Employees Association, about three weeks ago when news about the canceled picnic became public.

At that time, CSEA was already talking about holding its own picnic, Whitehead said. “I said I’d be happy to donate to the cause, my personal donation. Also, if I can help on that day, I’d be happy to do that.”

CSEA will accept donations from anyone who wants to help pay for the picnic, Barnett said. But he understands how it will be perceived if CSEA accepts money from Whitehead, or possibly even Isaac.

“It almost looks like a political thing where they’re jumping in there because Newberry is cutting us out,” Barnett said.

Based on the current list of people who have said they plan to attend, the picnic should cost between $700 and $800, Barnett said.

Whitehead said he plans to attend the picnic. “I’m pretty sure that some of my commissioners will participate and Mayor Isaac will drop by also,” he said.

Newberry won’t be in attendance because he will be out of town that day.

In addition to the picnic, Newberry also canceled the half-day off employees traditionally received following the picnic. That Friday is not considered a city holiday and the time off cost the city more than $300,000 in pay.

Urban County Council members have tentatively agreed to give back the half-day off as part of the Christmas Eve holiday. Employees currently receive a half-day off for Christmas Eve. With the additional half-day, employees will have the whole day off.

The additional half-day off still requires one more council reading. Final approval could come Sept. 13.

- Michelle Ku

Locked door installed in mayor's office

When Urban County Council members returned from their summer break this week, they discovered that during their absence, a locked door had been installed in the mayor’s office just past the reception area.

The door was installed for security purposes, not to keep council members out, said Susan Straub, Mayor Jim Newberry’s spokeswoman.

Despite Newberry’s intentions, council members returned to find that they could not use their city identification badges to open the locked door to get into the mayor’s office.

A technical error prevented council members from being able to open the locked door, said Shaye Rabold, Newberry’s chief of staff.

When the door was installed, the mayor’s office asked that the identification badges of council members be coded so that they could unlock the door, she said.

For some reason, the badges of council members were not activated immediately, but that has been corrected, Rabold said. Since Monday night, council members have been able to use their badges to open the locked door.

“A door in no way reflects an effort to put any barrier with the council,” Straub said. “It does reflect the world we live in and having to have some kind of security.”

A set of stairs that connects the 12th floor of the Urban County Government Center to the 11th floor is located between the outer door to the mayor’s office and the newly installed locked door. People could still get into the mayor’s 12th floor offices by taking the stairs from the 11th floor even when the outer door was locked for the evening.

Since he was elected, Newberry has made working with the council his top priority, Straub said. The mayor has invited council members over to his house for coffee and donuts, held informal receptions in the mayor’s office with the council and held retreats with the council.

The newly installed door in the mayor’s office is somewhat reminiscent of a wall that was built on the floor of the council offices in 1998.

The addition of the wall meant that visitors to the council offices were required to speak to a receptionist before they could see their council member.

The wall was built at the request of several council members who were bothered by people walking in unannounced to talk to them.

The receptionist desk at the entrance to the council offices remains, but the wall was removed several years ago.

- Michelle Ku

Newberry's six-month progress report

Mayor Jim Newberry on Tuesday issued a report on the progress and accomplishments of his administration during his first six months in office.

“I know we have made some progress, but I also know that we have a lot more work yet to do and so this is a report we hope to update along the way to keep it reasonably current so people can see we are making progress,” Newberry said.

The progress report — which can be found on the city’s Web site — is split up into three sections:

• Initiatives completed in the first six months;

• Tasks the administration has begun addressing that should be completed in the next six months; and

• A comparison between the administration’s accomplishments with Newberry’s mayoral campaign platform.

“Obviously this is a four-year undertaking so we haven’t completed everything that we hope we’ll be able to accomplish at the end of four years, but we started making progress on a number of fronts,” Newberry said.

One of the accomplishments that he is most pleased with is the improved relationship between the Urban County Council and the administration, Newberry said.

He has gone on district tours with several of the council members, the administration and council has held two joint retreats and the council was actively involved in the budget process, Newberry said.

“I am very, very comfortable with the working relationship that has been established,” Newberry said. “That’s not to say there won’t be disagreements along the way, but I think those disagreements will be healthy, will be civil and will ultimately resolve in better solutions for our community.”

The progress report is intended to be a tool that citizens can “use to conduct their own review of what has been transpiring in city hall since I and the rest of the folks on our team arrived here in January of this year,” Newberry said.

“I want citizens to be able to see what we’re doing and to have an opportunity for their comments, suggestions and complaints,” Newberry said.

The progress report site includes an e-mail address for citizens to to use to e-mail their comments directly to Newberry.

To listen to the raw, unedited audio from Newberry’s press conference about the progress report, click here.

- Michelle Ku

Stop by city hall for Gallery Hop

For the first time ever, Lexington's city hall will be a stop during the Downtown Gallery Hop on Friday.

Mayor Jim Newberry is inviting the public to view the work of local artists that are on display in the lobby and hallway of the mayor’s office on the 12th floor of the Urban County Government Center, 200 East Main Street. The art was provided by the Lexington Art League.

Lexington residents are encouraged to view the art, meet the mayor and visit the mayor’s office during the Gallery Hop open house from 5 to 8 p.m.

“We thought joining Gallery Hop was a great way to demonstrate the city’s strong support of the arts community,” Newberry said in a news release. “In addition, the artwork has been a wonderful addition to the mayor’s office. Visitors to the 12th floor have really enjoyed our gallery.”

If you don’t get a chance to drop by the mayor’s office during Gallery Hop, you can always stop by during regular business hours — but you might not get a guided tour by the mayor himself.

- Michelle Ku

Council members say Boulder trip worth every penny

Some Urban County Council members were upset that the Herald-Leader reported how much the city was paying for each of them to attend last week’s Commerce Lexington leadership visit to Boulder, Colo.

During work session Tuesday, Councilman Jay McChord said the group that went to Boulder was the largest group — with the largest council turnout — in the history of the Commerce Lexington leadership visit.

“What you’re seeing is a new day of collaboration, a new day of working locally better together,” McChord said. “And I find it funny that some of those in the media have looked at certain aspects of this and pointed out, well look who went and look how much that cost and so forth when those same media outlets the last couple of years have spent a lot of ink talking about dysfunction and we wish people would work better together and so forth.”

“We want to make this the best 21st century city possible and we’re willing to take time out of our busy schedules to go and sit down and talk about those things and study places that do it real well,” McChord said.

Councilman Julian Beard said that he has been attending Commerce Lexington’s leadership visits nearly every year since 1974.

On that first trip to Charleston, S.C. in 1974, there was about 70 attendees, Beard said. “Entirely different make-up. Very few women, very few African-Americans on that trip then. A whole lot of golf bags, however. At the carousel when we got back (from Boulder), I think I only counted four golf bags this time out of 200 people so it was not a junket by any means. It was a very active business meeting.”

Most of the 18 city officials who went to Boulder were there on the city’s dime. In all, the city spent at least $22,225 on the trips of 15 city officials. That total does not include other incidentals, such as parking at Blue Grass Airport and meals that weren’t included as part of the trip.

The elected city officials who went to Boulder on the city’s tab were Mayor Jim Newberry and council members Andrea James, Beard, Don Blevins Jr., Dick DeCamp, Chuck Ellinger II, Linda Gorton, McChord, George Myers, David Stevens and Kevin Stinnett.

Vice Mayor Jim Gray and Councilmen Tom Blues and Richard Moloney’s trips to Boulder were either paid for by the companies they work for or by themselves.

“It was a useful trip, I think, for many of us,” said Gray, who didn't have any issues with the Herald-Leader's report.

“For the cost of a modest consulting assignment, we were able to touch, in a sense, a city that has many analogous experiences or geographies of Lexington,” Gray said.

At the end of work session on Tuesday, Newberry said that he has now been on 10 leadership visits.

“I thought this one was the best one for me in terms of hearing about things directly relevant to Lexington,” Newberry said.

During the course of the trip, he “repeatedly heard comments from people on the trip about how appreciative they were of your all’s presence and I was,” Newberry said. “And I hope that all of you found it to be as productive as I did.”

- Michelle Ku