Office governor created helped with state hires

E-mails show LINK was funnel for jobs

Wednesday, May 18, 2005
By Tom Loftus
tloftus@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. — An obscure office in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration regularly reviewed civil service job candidates who were supposed to be hired for their qualifications, not politics, according to more than 30 interoffice e-mails.

A former top official of Local Initiatives for a New Kentucky sent, received and was mentioned in the e-mails, which are part of a complaint alleging the Fletcher administration violated state civil service protections by hiring political friends.

Fletcher created the office, known as LINK, in August to give "the people of Kentucky the ability to voice concerns and ask questions in their local areas" through seven regional offices, according to its Web site.

But the e-mails included in the complaint show Cory Meadows, who was then LINK's deputy executive director, was in frequent contact with the Transportation Cabinet's personnel office about hiring for merit jobs.

more:http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050518/NEWS01/50518002/1008