Sept. 25, 2012 —
It’s been 10 days since the Kentucky Personnel Board cleared House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins of any wrongdoing in a case involving a promotion for a prison official.
And we’re still upset about what appears to have been – from the outset – a witch hunt at the expense of an honest, hard working lawmaker who carefully followed the law and legislative ethics rules in trying to help one of his constituents.
And, to add insult to injury, the secretary of the personnel board told the press afterward that the board really was more interested in how the state corrections department handled a promotion decision, not the involvement of Rep. Adkins.
The personnel board did nullify the promotion of Charles Pennington and ordered the corrections department to conduct another search for an operations manager at the Little Sandy Correctional Complex at Sandy Hook.
Hershel Adkins, no relative of the legislator, has questioned the decision, claiming that the commissioner of corrections had been improperly influenced to award the job to Pennington.
Always a class act, Rep. Adkins issued a polite statement saying he was pleased that the Personnel Board has reached a final decision in the matter.
It would have been out of character for him but perhaps the veteran lawmaker should have denounced the unfairness of being cast as someone trying to circumvent the state merit system.
The facts show that it was totally permissible for Rep. Adkins to write a letter of support for his friend and constituent.
The personnel board found no evidence that he had applied political pressure which would have been unlawful and unethical.
Corrections Commissioner LaDonna Thompson actually made the decision to give the job to Pennington.
She testified that Rep. Adkins did not pressure her to help Pennington but that she had acted on her own after reviewing how the matter had been handled.
We believe what really happened is that the person who lost the job – along with his lawyer – complained that he was the victim of a political power play by a popular, respected legislator.
In our opinion, that scenario simply was too much to resist for the bureaucrats and the Capitol press corps.
Rocky Adkins represents some 40,000 persons who live in his district, including part of Rowan County.
Can you imagine how long he would have lasted in Frankfort if he never tried to help the people who have elected him 13 times?
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