Pubdate: Fri, 11 Jan 2002
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
Website: http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/
Address: 100 Midland Avenue, Lexington, Ky. 40508
Email:  2002 Lexington Herald-Leader
Fax: 606-255-7236
Authors: Lee Mueller, Bill Estep, Herald-Leader Staff Writers

OUSTED STATE POLICE CHIEF TO RUN FOR SHERIFF

PRESTONSBURG -- The former head of the Kentucky State Police is running for 
sheriff of Floyd County in what promises to be a heated campaign, with the 
region's drug problem as a key issue.

Gary Rose, fired as state police commissioner in a dispute with Gov. Paul 
Patton in August 1999, said he decided to run against incumbent Sheriff 
John K. Blackburn in order to fight serious drug problems in the county.

"If that man (Blackburn) was even trying to do his job, I'd have never come 
out of retirement," Rose said.

Blackburn, 50, said he's worked hard against drug problems with limited 
resources. If Rose wants to make an issue of drug arrests, Rose's dismissal 
from the state's top law-enforcement job is also an important issue for 
voters, Blackburn said.

"I feel any time you've been fired from a job, especially as state police 
commissioner, I don't think that would help you politically," he said.

Rose, however, said his termination shouldn't be an issue in the sheriff's 
race.

Rose, 55, had been a state police officer for 28 years before Patton 
appointed him commissioner in 1996. Rose has claimed in pending lawsuits he 
was improperly fired after he reported alleged waste and mismanagement with 
Pat Simpson, a deputy state police commissioner and head of security for 
Patton. Rose said Patton and Justice Secretary Robert Stephens ordered him 
to withdraw a memo reducing Simpson's rank, then fired him when he stuck to 
his guns.

"Obviously, I didn't do anything wrong," Rose said.

Rose said the records show Blackburn has stocked his payroll with at least 
seven relatives -- his wife, son, mother-in-law, three cousins and his 
stepdaughter's husband.

Blackburn acknowledged he hired his wife and mother-in-law as full-time 
office workers and five other relatives part-time.

Rose said he will file a written inquiry with the county ethics commission 
at its Feb. 19 meeting seeking an opinion on whether Blackburn is in 
violation of a local rule on hiring family members.

Blackburn said his relatives were hired before the current ethics code 
became effective.

Rose said that even if Blackburn is within the law, hiring family members 
can be bad practice.

"Anybody with any experience in administration realizes it's very difficult 
to supervise your family," Rose said. Rose said he won't have family 
members on the payroll.

Some local political observers were surprised when Rose, who once headed a 
state agency with 1,690 employees, filed for a courthouse office with 20 
full-time workers.

But almost no one appeared shocked when Rose aimed a kick at Blackburn, who 
was elected sheriff in 1998 after two unsuccessful attempts. The two, both 
Democrats, are the only candidates who have filed for the office.

Blackburn suggested Rose retreated to Floyd County after being fired, 
though he conceded he didn't know why Rose was dismissed.

"He had sold his home and left Floyd County when he was appointed state 
police commissioner," the sheriff said. "If he wanted to help Floyd County, 
why didn't he stay here in the first place?"

Rose said that after he came home, people continually asked him to run for 
sheriff in order to do something about Floyd County's drug problem.

Floyd Commonwealth's Attorney Brent Turner, who is married to Rose's 
cousin, said there were only 12 drug-related indictments in the county in 
2000, including five each by Kentucky State Police and the sheriff's 
office. None of the five sheriff's office cases involved drug trafficking, 
he said.

"You'd think there'd be more arrests, based on talk from people in the 
county," Turner said.

Both state police and Blackburn's office made more drug arrests last year, 
Turner said, though he could not supply numbers.

Blackburn said his office has a $1 million budget, with paid employees 
numbering 20 full-time and 21 part-time. The sheriff's office has many 
duties other than law enforcement, Blackburn said, including tax collection.

"I have 12 drug-trafficking cases ready to take before a grand jury," he 
said. "I've been in office for three years and I've fought drugs as hard as 
I can with the money I've got to fight with."
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