Charges have been dropped against Fletcher for merit law violations. Since details are lacking in the case, it will take some time for me to comment. But it looks like a good deal for Fletcher since it puts an end to the circus that was hanging at the outskirts of his administration.
I'll write more once I learn the details of the agreement.
One of the things I thought Fletcher needed to do was get out to the public and talk about the good things his administration has done and keep a positive view on the future. It looks like he is doing just that. At the Northern Kentucky Area Development District���s 35th Anniversary Dinner in Erlanger, he talked about a whole host of things his administration has accomplished.
Most of Fletcher���s speech was about what he said his administration has accomplished in the almost three years since he took office, the first Republican governor in more than 30 years.
He cited, among other things, increased teacher pay, record spending on post-secondary education, improved newborn health screenings, a revamped Medicaid program, the opening of 10 drug treatment centers, tax modernization and improving economic development opportunities.
The governor also said the state had allocated almost $600 million in education, road and infrastructure projects for Northern Kentucky this year.
It looks like the strategy is working.
���I think it���s more important to focus on the content of what he had to say,��� said Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Crescent Springs. ���There was a tremendous amount ofachievements and accomplishments and success that he reminded us of that I don���t think you guys in the media and some of the people in (legislative) leadership tend to forget.���
He also went to eastern Kentucky and talked about the achievements of his administration. There he drew standing ovations before the crowd in Pikeville. Why? Because he has done a number of things for eastern Kentucky including a "crackdown" on truckers hauling overweight loads that has saving about a hundred lives. He has also pushed for better safety laws for miners, opened drug treatment centers, and created "coal academies" to better train miners.
Again this strategy is beginning to pay off for him.
"Like any other governor, he has his supporters and his detractors," Jones said. "Do I always agree with him? No. Do we have philosophical differences? Sure we do. But I am going to work with him on beneficial projects."
Pikeville city manager Donovan Blackburn said Eastern Kentucky fared especially well under the last governor, Paul Patton, who lives in Pikeville, and people feared the region would be forgotten after Patton left office in 2003.
That, Blackburn said, is why Fletcher received standing ovations in Pikeville, London and other Eastern Kentucky stops last week.
"He hasn't forgotten about the region," Blackburn said. "Regardless of someone's politics, if they're trying to help the region, they're going to get respect."
Maybe the stories of Fletcher's demise are a bit premature after all.
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