Top official's e-mail says Fletcher lacked leadership

Turbyfill: Gov. should resign if it would make hiring inquiry go away

9 Nov 2005 // A former high-ranking state official told a fellow top Republican that Gov. Ernie Fletcher is “unaware of reality” in regard to the investigation into his administration’s hiring practices and should resign.

“The GOP will be set back decades and all of us who have worked so hard for 20 years have worked for naught,” said Basil Turbyfill, Fletcher’s former director of personnel and efficiency, in a Sept. 17 e-mail to former University of Kentucky sports announcer Ralph Hacker, who also has worked part-time as an aide to Fletcher.

“If we could get out of this by the Gov. resigning he should do it,” Turbyfill continued.

The governor’s communications director likened that approach to “taking a sledge hammer to get rid of a gnat.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Brett Hall said today. The e-mails between Turbyfill and Hacker, obtained by the Herald-Leader today, have been passed around in Republican circles for several weeks.

Turbyfill’s words are further evidence that the fallout from the hiring investigation and some of Fletcher’s decisions have eroded support for the governor from even longtime party faithful.

Turbyfill, a successful Danville businessman, served on the Republican Party Central Executive Committee and is one of Boyle County’s most prominent Republicans.

Turbyfill did not return several calls today. His wife said he has not been speaking with reporters. His attorney, Paul Harnice, declined comment.

Hacker did not respond after the Herald-Leader left a detailed message about the e-mails on his answering machine. His attorney, Joe Terry, said he has “instructed Mr. Hacker not to discuss the hiring investigation or any aspect of it.”

Terry said he had “not discussed the details” of the e-mails with Hacker but that Hacker had informed him of the Herald-Leader’s request.

Contradicting Fletcher

A grand jury investigating improper state hirings indicted Turbyfill in July on one misdemeanor charge of conspiring to violate state merit laws, which mandate that rank-and-file employees be hired on qualifications not politics.

Fletcher pardoned Turbyfill and eight other men Aug. 29.

On Sept. 13, the governor fired Turbyfill and eight others, saying they “did not understand or appreciate the spirit of merit system rules.”

But Turbyfill told Hacker in his message that he was first asked to resign on Sept. 1, with the resignation to be effective Sept. 7. He said Fletcher then called him and asked him to come back on Sept. 6 before firing him the next week along with the eight others.

Fletcher, in response to questions after he announced the dismissals, denied that he had previously asked Turbyfill to resign. “I did not accept Basil Turbyfill's resignation before today,” Fletcher said.

Hall, Fletcher’s communications director, said today that Fletcher’s recollection of the resignation was correct. “I remember that point in time and it was very emotional,” Hall said. “Basil Turbyfill was very hurt and saddened by what happened.”

Turbyfill said in the e-mail that he thought Fletcher wanted to fire a number of officials at once to “lump us all together and hope” that Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who has led the hiring probe, would “have mercy.”

Hacker told Turbyfill in his message: “You fellows do not deserve what is coming your way ... I feel certain by the time all this comes to an end many more of us will have to take a hit.”

Turbyfill and Hacker exchanged e-mails in reference to the Sept. 17 Kentucky Republican Party central committee meeting in which members were expected to take up Fletcher’s request to replace party chairman Darrell Brock.

Fletcher, on the same day as the firings, said he wanted Brock replaced because of e-mails Brock sent regarding state personnel moves while working in Fletcher’s administration.

Turbyfill, in the e-mail, called Fletcher’s demand for Brock’s resignation “really out of bounds.” The executive committee never took up the issue at that meeting.

Turbyfill went on to write that Fletcher particularly blundered when he “waited too long to make a move” -- an apparent reference to the Aug. 29 pardons. Turbyfill said the delay forced former transportation official Dan Druen to “spill his guts” to prosecutors.

Druen revealed details about the administration’s hiring practices during a six-hour interview in the attorney general’s office on Aug. 26.

Overall, Fletcher has lacked “leadership” and has taken bad advice, Turbyfill added. Specifically, he has refused “to accept help from D.C. to Burkesville” -- referring to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Senate President David Williams, who hails from Burkesville. “He has alienated all who wanted to help and is down to two or three he will listen to and they are as unaware of reality as he is,” Turbyfill said of Fletcher.

Hall said Turbyfill’s comments were “regrettable” and probably the product of an emotional time. “That's all I can comment about a private conversation between two people that has unfortunately seen the light of day,” he said.