DECEMBER 8, 2015
Outgoing Governor appoints wife to Horse Park Commission
In his final hours as governor, Steve Beshear Monday night granted 197 pardons and six commutations to people sentenced for a range of offenses, including 10 women sentenced for violent crimes they committed after suffering years of domestic violence.
Throughout his eight years in office, the Democratic governor said he received more than 3,400 requests for pardons that were reviewed over several months by him and his staff.
“I spent many long days weighing the merits and circumstances of individual cases before making my final decisions,” Beshear said in a statement. “The pardon authority afforded me by Section 77 of the Kentucky Constitution isn’t something I take lightly. We are talking about action that impacts the lives of so many individuals.”
Beshear noted that his predecessor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, received more than 1,000 pardon requests and granted just over 100 pardons during his four years in office.
Of the commutations of sentence or full pardons to 10 women who suffered domestic violence, Beshear said, “These 10 women — some of whom are currently incarcerated and some of whom have already been released from institutions — were recommended to me for consideration for full pardons after an extensive joint review by the Department for Public Advocacy and the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association.
“After further review of those files, I determined that some of the pardon requests should be granted, while others merited a commutation of sentence.” (MORE)
By Jack Brammer
Lexington Herald Leader
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Beshear appoints wife to Horse Park Commission
In a move that was called “self-serving” by the spokeswoman for Matt Bevin, Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed his wife Jane Beshear to the Kentucky Horse Park Commission.
Among his final executive orders, Beshear on Friday named his wife, who is a longtime advocate for the horse industry and the Kentucky Horse Park, to the unpaid position as a member of the commission.
Actually, the order says he appointed her to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, but details of the order make it apparent that the appointment is to the Kentucky Horse Park Commission.
And Beshear’s office confirmed Monday that the order filed Friday is mistaken and will be corrected to say “Kentucky Horse Park Commission.”
The order says Jane Beshear will replace Timothy L. Haymaker, of Lexington, who has resigned from the commission that oversees the park in Fayette County. Jane Beshear will serve the rest of Haymaker’s term, which ends Jan. 1, 2019.
“We are disappointed to see the self-serving behavior being exhibited by the outgoing governor, Steve Beshear,” said Jessica Ditto, the spokeswoman for incoming Gov. Matt Bevin’s transition team in a statement. “This latest embarrassment to Kentucky is yet another example of what the voters overwhelmingly rejected on November 3.” (MORE)
By Tom Loftus
Courier-Journal
