Stealth Employees

Besides cell phones and cars here is the kind of thing that really drives me crazy. Now I’m sure there is a good reason for this, I just can’t figure out what it is.

There is a Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities

The mission statement for this Department is this:

Thank you for visiting the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities home page. We hope that we can accommodate your needs.

Our mission is to provide leadership, in partnership with others, to prevent disability, build resilience in individuals and their communities, and facilitate recovery for people whose lives have been affected by mental illness, intellectual disability or other developmental disability, or substance abuse.

Through our continued efforts we hope to help you in any way we can. Thank you for visiting, and feel free to explore our many services.

Sounds good so far right?

Here is there organizational chart.

Now I'm an old retired guy so maybe I'm just not seeing it but if you look on the chart you will not find the following names:

RICHARD J LUNSFORD, MEDICAL SPECIALIST III earning $170,570.00
WARREN E MILTEER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR earning $160,089.00
CONCEPCION MONTE-PAJEL, PHYSICIAN III earning $155,194.00
AMY J TRIVETTE, MEDICAL SPECIALIST III earning $158,314.00
MICHAEL W FLEMING, MEDICAL SPECIALIST III earning $165,468.00
NAYYAR IQBAL, MEDICAL DIRECTOR earning $217,269.00

These six people are paid by the state $1,026,904.00 annually and work for this department.

So here’s the question, how do you pay over a million dollars to six people and they don’t even appear on the organizational chart?

I hope these six are providing a hell of a lot of “leadership, in partnership with others, to prevent disability, build resilience in individuals and their communities, and facilitate recovery for people whose lives have been affected by mental illness, intellectual disability or other developmental disability, or substance abuse” for a million bucks.

Millions for Cell Phones and Cars

In California, Governor Jerry Brown is playing parent to state employees -- He’s taking their cell phones away.

Since 2007 The Commonwealth of Kentucky has racked up $20,924,133.42 in telephone wireless/cell phone charges. M aybe someone needs to take a few phones away in Frankfort.

And when they take the phone, maybe someone should grab a few sets of car keys.

Since 2007 the Commonwealth has spent $47,750,392.74 on motor vehicles.

I never have thought that every Commissioner in Frankfort deserved a Crown Vic.

Let's All Be Happy, It's Only Tax Money

Why are these people smiling?



They are giving away your tax dollars.

It's a lot easier than actually understanding the problem and doing something about it.

This is part of the reason why Kentucky state government doesn't have a sufficient revenue stream. In the very short legislative week just past the following bills were introduced, the folks above are the members of the General Assembly that sponsored the legislation.

Distilled spirits, income tax credit equal to ad valorem tax paid - HB 135

Income tax, community rehabilitation tax credit - HB 10

Income tax, Great Schools Tax Credit Program, establish - HB 98

Property tax homestead exemption, expansion for disabled veterans - HB 206

Property tax, third-party fees, reduction of - HB 78

Public financing for judicial campaigns, create tax refund designation for - HB 21

Real estate transfer tax, exemption from - HB 155

Refund of sales and use tax paid on building materials allowed - SB 58; HB 220

Sales and use tax, cattle, sheep, swine, or poultry drugs, exemption - HB 212

Sales tax holiday - HB 84

Credits, exemptions and refunds are enacted in tax legislation to achieve goals having nothing to do with raising money. The main reasons for these acts is to pay off a big contributor or an entire industry, pursue a social agenda or pander to a section of the electorate.

Now I have no problem with using taxes to further some particular goal. For example I am quite happy to see the cigarette tax go sky high as a way of putting the tobacco companies out of business.

But if you are going to do this sort of thing the stand up and say what you are doing. At this point in time I doubt that anyone knows what all the exemptions, exclusions, credits or refunds are in the current system.

Is the Ship Sinking?

You can sometimes tell what the insiders are thinking in Frankfort by watching the job hopping.

For example from the Herald-Leader:

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Jack Conway said Monday that the resignations of three top aides over the past month shouldn't be seen as a sign that the Louisville Democrat may be backing out of a re-election bid.

"Jack has said on several occasions that he intends to seek a second term as attorney general," spokeswoman Allison Martin said.

Well Jack may be going for a second term, but Dana Mayton and Janet Graham are political insiders. They are part of that level of bureaucrats that live just below the elected officials and work to attach themselves to the next rising star.

Janet Graham and Jim Gray

If they can’t find a rising star then they run for cover some place safe, like a University.

Their departure, and that of others, says more about their assessment of Jack being a major player in the future than it does about his political ambition.


Dana Mayton