KyKurmudgeon

I missed Monday’s gubernatorial debate on Kentucky Educational Television. But I noticed in news coverage of the event that Gov. Ernie Fletcher tried to pass off the alleged "hit list" that was a key piece of evidence in his BlackBerry Jam hiring scandal as being some kind of "promotions list."

That prompted me to pull out my copy of the "hit list," which allegedly was drafted by former Transportation Cabinet official Dan Druen. It’s a memo on the subject: "Draft of Preliminary Personnel Actions; Terminations, Reversions, and Reassignments. It lists 32 names, nine under the heading "Completed Actions" and 23 under the heading "Pending Actions."

Of the completed actions, four of the people were listed as having been terminated, another had retired after  an involuntary transfer and the others had been transferred or demoted. Of the 23 pending actions, nine people were recommended for termination or firing, one was recommended for involuntary transfer and all but a couple of the others were recommended for reassignment.

Does that sound like a promotions list?

By the way, I learned today that investigators found the "hit list" in a box of documents the Transportation Cabinet turned over to Attorney General Greg Stumbo’s office shortly after the hiring investigation began in May 2005. It was one of the reasons Stumbo said early on that there appeared to be "smoking gun" proof of violations of the law protecting merit system jobs from political discrimination. The list became a public record after it was included in court filings during the investigation.

So, it turns out Fletcher’s folks in Transportation essentially ratted out themselves when they let the "hit list" be included with the other documents. That is so typical of the ineptness that so often has been the trademark of this administration.