by Jewell Florea, President People for Ethical Government Inc. Somerset, KY 42501
Dear Editor:
Thank you for the recent editorials and news articles dealing with the subject of magistrates’ pay.
Our nonprofit citizens group, People for Ethical Government Inc., has a particular interest in this issue.
In 1994, when Pulaski Fiscal Court voted to increase magistrates’ pay from $15,000 to $30,000 per year, several members of our group filed suit challenging the court’s action. The case took almost five years to make its way through the justice system, and demanded a tremendous investment of both time and money, but in June 1998, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in our favor and ordered the magistrates to repay more than $186,000 to the county treasury.
We were successful in our suit, not because the court found the pay increase excessive, but because Pulaski Fiscal Court failed to follow the time frame prescribed by law. Kentucky law allows magistrates to increase their pay, within prescribed limits, but the increase cannot become effective until the next term. This time frame is important because it requires magistrates who vote to raise their own pay to seek and win re-election before they can reap the benefit of their action.
Shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the same group of magistrates again voted to double their pay, but this time they were careful to follow the letter of the law. Because the rate of pay was legally established, and because reasonable people may disagree about what our magistrates should be paid, People For Ethical Government has decided to take no position on the matter of whether or not the current rate of pay is excessive. We have a very definite position, however, concerning a citizen’s right to know exactly where every candidate stands on important issues. The attention that the Commonwealth Journal has focused on the subject of magistrates’ pay has already prompted at least two candidates to issue public statements. We encourage all remaining candidates to follow suit.
As we enter this election cycle, however, a focus on magistrates’ pay should not be allowed to obscure other important issues which should be a part of the public discussion.
People for Ethical Government supports government transparency and the people’s right to know. We have called upon county officials to place financial records, fiscal court minutes, contracts and other public information on the county’s Web site and to always conduct county business in accordance with Kentucky’s Open Meetings and Open Records laws.
We have called upon county officials to amend the Pulaski County Ethics Code to include stronger restrictions on nepotism and conflict of interest, and to extend these restrictions to all boards, commissions and special districts overseen by fiscal court.
We have called upon county officials to conduct an audit of the county road system, remove all roads which serve no legitimate public purpose and amend the County Administrative Code to prohibit the adoption of such roads in the future.
We have called upon county officials to comply with the constitutional prohibition against
spending public funds on private property and to discontinue the practice of giving blacktop, gravel and drainage tiles to real estate developers and private landowners.
So far, county officials have declined to respond to, or even acknowledge these requests. While they are in office, that is certainly their prerogative. As candidates for public office, however, they should not have that luxury. As previously stated, we believe that voters have a right to know exactly where every candidate stands on the issues. People for Ethical Government encourages all candidates to present a detailed platform dealing with these, and other, serious issues facing our county. We encourage Pulaski County voters to demand nothing less of those who ask for their vote.
The mission of People for Ethical Government Inc. is to promote honesty, fairness and transparency in Pulaski County Government. We invite interested individuals to attend our meetings (first Monday of each month at 7 p.m., Pulaski County Library) and to visit our Web site:
www.peopleforethicalgovernment.org
Jewell Florea, President
People for Ethical Government Inc.
Somerset, KY 42501
