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Bill would give Senate say in fair board membership

Posted by on Feb 23, 2012 | 0 comments

FRANKFORT, KY. — Senators who support the job Harold Workman has done as president of the State Fair Board filed a bill Wednesday that would require confirmation by the state Senate of a governor’s appointments to the board.

Sens. Paul Hornback and Joey Pendleton, both farmers, said while the bill will not block an ongoing effort to remove Workman from the job he has held since 1993, it will give the Senate some say in board membership in the future.

“If I’m going to be the whipping boy that’s going to have to listen to all this controversy, then I want to have a little say in who gets put on the Fair Board,” said Pendleton, D-Hopkinsville.

Hornback, R-Shelbyville, said, “This is a show of support for Harold Workman and a statement that the Fair Board is not a political toy to play with.”

The Courier-Journal reported Wednesday that one board member said she had been contacted by Board Chairman Ron Carmicle last week and told that the governor wanted Workman ousted as president and chief executive officer.

Carmicle said any claims that he had lobbied board members to support Workman’s ouster are “absolutely false.”

But Gov. Steve Beshear said Wednesday he’s been part of discussions among members of the board to remove Workman.

“I had several members of the board discuss the issue with me and I’m a member of the board also,” Beshear said in an impromptu interview prior to his appearance before a Senate committee to testify for his constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling.

Beshear did not answer questions about whether he initiated the move to replace Workman or if he wanted Workman replaced.

“I do understand his future is being considered by the Fair Board. And the Fair Board is the entity that makes that ultimate decision,…” Beshear said. “I’ll be discussing that issue further with the members of the Fair Board as we go along.”

The board is scheduled to meet Thursday. Though the issue is not on the agenda, Pendleton and Hornback say it still could be considered. “Some senators from both parties are talking about attending the meeting to show our support for Harold,” Pendleton said.

And the controversy threatens to cost Beshear some badly needed support on his top legislative priority — the amendment to allow expanded gambling that was approved Wednesday by a Senate committee.

Pendleton, who said he supports giving voters the right to decide the gambling question, said if Workman is fired on Thursday, “I will withdraw my support for putting casino gambling on the ballot.”

Pendleton said Beshear called him late Tuesday and told him he was not behind the effort to replace Workman.

And Pendleton said neither Beshear nor any supporter of the move to replace Workman has given him a reason why Workman should leave.

“Somebody better come up with a real good reason, and they’re going to have to do it pretty quickly,” Pendleton said.

Beshear said Wednesday he did not believe that the controversy will cost any votes for the casino amendment. “I don’t think any other extraneous matters like that will ultimately affect anybody’s decision,” Beshear said.

Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, said the controversy has united senators of both parties in support of Workman and that he believes the bill filed by Hornback and Pendleton will pass the Senate unanimously.

“The governor needs to clear this up and clear it up immediately,…” Williams said. “I just think the governor needs to be candid about what he’s going to do and if he has enough influence to exert to get Mr. Workman fired, then he just needs to go ahead and admit that he’s doing that.”