State rep. candidate fires back at report

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November 19, 2009

Gilreath says he did nothing wrong in corrections department job, blames opponent for story

By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Thu Nov 19, 2009, 07:30 PM EST

Terry Gilreath is not a happy candidate.

Running for state representative in House District 85, Gilreath’s task is 2010 is already challenging, the equivalent of playing in an opponent’s stadium: He must unseat incumbent Tommy Turner, who’s been serving parts of Pulaski and Laurel Counties in Frankfort since 1997.

But Gilreath’s bid didn’t become any easier last week, as a report regarding an incident in Gilreath’s past was published in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The article stated that Gilreath was fired from his job with the state Department of Corrections in October 2004. He was accused of committing fraud by former Corrections Commissioner John Rees, allegedly having received two state checks — each worth over $1,044 (with only a 20-cent difference between the two) — for the same travel voucher.

Don’t believe everything you read, suggested Gilreath.

“My wife tried to discourage me from entering this race,” he told the Commonwealth Journal on Tuesday. “She said, ‘They will drag you through the mud. They will stop at nothing to discredit you in the eyes of the people.’ She was right, of course, but in my heart, I knew I had to do something.”

Gilreath believes the Herald-Leader’s account of what happened five years ago didn’t portray him or the incident in an accurate light. The article listed what Rees had accused Gilreath of, including allegedly recording false mileage on his travel vouchers in 2003 and 2004.

The article also states that Gilreath denied the charges and launched an appeal to the state Personnel Board. The appeal was dropped, said the Herald-Leader, as part of a settlement in 2006, that also require Gilreath not to seek employment in the state’s Department of Corrections again.

Gilreath stands by his actions, saying he did nothing improper regarding the travel vouchers.

“My work often required extensive travel, so I submitted monthly travel vouchers for over 20 years,” said Gilreath. “The travel vouchers allowed me to be reimbursed by the state for out-of-pocket travel expenses.

“The only time the validity of my travel voucher was ever questioned was in 2004,” he continued. “Frankfort filed a complaint against me, alleging that I had falsified my travel records. I knew I had done nothing unethical or inappropriate, so I stood my ground.”

He was then dismissed, said Gilreath, and immediately he appealed the decision. However, “before the appeal process could run its course, Frankfort dropped the complaint against me,” he said. “I was given back pay and retirement credit for the time I was off.”

Gilreath stated that he went back to work for a different state agency because he didn’t want to work for the same individuals responsible for the “ordeal” in the first place.

“I fought back against the state government bureaucracy and won,” said Gilreath. “I was completely cleared of any wrongdoing. I am not the first person who has been falsely accused by a work supervisor with an ax to grind.”

As for why this story came into the spotlight now, Gilreath believes that he was posing a threat to what he calls “the career politician’s network,” which “began to take notice” of his efforts.

“Leaking information to the press is one of the oldest political tricks out there,” said Gilreath. “If an honest person dares challenge them, they will stop at nothing to discredit him or her. I believe the people will see these tactics for what they are, an attempt to deceive the public into believing lies and half truths. I think the public is tired of seeing the reputation of an honest person smeared just so some politician can hold onto his position of power.”

The politician who would be trying to hang onto his “position of power” in this case is Turner. When asked to respond to Gilreath’s comments, Turner denied leaking any information to the media about his opponent’s past — or even knowing what the “career politicians network” is.

“I didn’t put that out there, I don’t know where it came from, and it didn’t come from me,” said Turner. “In politics, I’ve always taken the high road, and I’ll continue to do that. I don’t know what (Gilreath) is talking about.”

Gilreath, who describes himself as a “Christian conservative and an old-fashioned patriot,” champions the notion that he is not a politician himself. He stated that he entered this race because he’s concerned about the direction government has taken in recent years, citing tax hikes and government spending at motivating factors.

“I think we have lost a significant amount of our freedom to a government that the founding fathers would hardly recognize,” he said.

Gilreath asked that anyone with questions or comments for him about the incident five years ago or about his current campaign leave their messages at his Web site, www.terryforstaterep.com. The Science Hill resident, retired from the Administrative Office of the Courts as project coordinator for new judicial centers like the one being built in downtown Somerset, expects to receive more challenges to his reputation as the bid for state representative of Pulaski County rolls on.

“The career politician’s network is feeling the heat in this campaign, so I’m sure more character assassinations await me,” he said. “I stood up against the political powerbrokers in 2004 and I’ll do it again in 2010 if the people elect me as their state repres-entative.”

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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