Posted on 03/25/2003 9:22:59 PM PST by LdSentinal
FRANKFORT, Ky. - A state ethics panel Tuesday charged Gov. Paul Patton with doing favors for his lover, saying he intervened to make her construction company more likely to get state aid.
If the four charges from the Executive Branch Ethics Commission are upheld after a hearing, Patton could face a $5,000 fine and a public reprimand.
Patton said Tuesday he would vigorously defend himself against the allegations. He has acknowledged having an affair with nursing home owner Tina Conner but has denied her allegations that he used his office to help her during the affair and hurt her after their breakup.
"I have made mistakes in my private life, but I have not abused my office. I am confident that when the commission's hearing is completed, that fact will be clear to the citizens of Kentucky," Patton said.
The commission said it found probable cause to believe Patton intervened to get certification as a "disadvantaged business" for a construction company owned by Conner and her husband, Seth Conner.
Such a designation entitled the company, ST Construction, to preferential treatment in the awarding of state highway contracts. No contract was actually awarded, according to the administration.
The commission also said Patton influenced a decision by the state's vehicle enforcement agency to promote a friend of Tina Conner. The other charges allege that it was because of the affair that Tina Conner was appointed to the Kentucky Lottery Corp. board of directors and Seth Conner was appointed to the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board.
State and federal prosecutors also are investigating the case.
Tina Conner told WHAS-TV in Louisville on Tuesday she has been honest with the ethics commission and the public, and she hoped the governor would take responsibility.
Under state law, Patton has 20 days to respond to the ethics charges. He can present evidence to a hearing officer who then would make a recommendation to the ethics commission.
Conner revealed the two-year affair in September. She said that after she broke off their relationship, Patton turned state regulators loose on her nursing home to punish her, an accusation Patton denied.
Conner has since lost the nursing home in bankruptcy proceedings.
Since the scandal became public, Patton and his wife, Judi, have made few public appearances together. A divorce between Conner and Seth Conner was completed in August.
You know, I was thinking the same thing.
I didn't know who the guy was, and I was wondering, "R or D"?
Since there was no reference at all, and, since it was AP reporting, I expected that it had to be a "D" (otherwise the "R" would have been in the headline as well as in the article).
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