Airport Board "Loaned" Director $10,000; Approved It Either Before or After The Money Was Gone

The Lexington airport board "loaned" the former airport director, Mike Gobb, $10,000 but the board is not sure whether it approved the loan before or after it was made, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports in its continuing relevations of what increasingly appears to have been an organization with no meaningful oversight, "Airport Board Advanced Gobb $10,000."

How did this happen? Somehow, someway, according to former councilman and board member, David Stevens:

"I don't know if the board approved that proactively or retroactively. That was a pretty hectic time."

Airport Board to Council: Drop Dead

The LFUCG Council officially and unanimously passed its resolution yesterday calling for airport board chairman Bernard Lovely to step down as the Lexington Herald-Leader reports, "Resolution On Lovely Unanimous." The airport board's response was a resounding drop dead:

David Wescott, the airport's spokesman, said Wednesday that Lovely does not plan to relinquish the chairman position early. Lovely's term will end Tuesday when the board elects new officers. Lovely will remain involved in airport activities, Wescott said.

In case the board's message was not clear enough, the heir apparent, present treasurer Bobby Owens, added the following:

Hours before the council approved the resolution, Bobby Owens, treasurer of the airport board, issued a statement expressing his "support and gratitude" to Lovely for his service as board chairman.

"The interests of Blue Grass Airport have consistently directed Bernie's actions as chairman, even at extreme personal sacrifice," said Owens, who will likely be elected to take over the chairman position from Lovely on Tuesday.

So there you have it.

Strip Club (The Phrase That Always Perks Up A Story About Waste of Government Money)

The Lexington Herald-Leader's ongoing reports on waste, fraud and abuse at the local airport board picked up considerable steam by the disclosure that included among the $200,000 plus of expenditures the board had approved was a $4500 plus tab for what was presumably a memorable night at a Texas strip club, "Airport paid tab at Texas strip club":

The Blue Grass Airport board will cancel credit cards for the airport's top officials in light of widespread concern about excessive and inappropriate spending, including the revelation that three airport employees charged $4,500 at a Texas strip club to one of the cards.

Bernard Lovely, the board's chairman, said Monday the cards would be canceled. He and airport attorney Thomas Halbleib discussed some of their findings in an ongoing inquiry into what they described as an entrenched "culture" that has allowed suspicious spending practices to flourish.

Only a few weeks ago, the airport board's chairman, Mr. Lovely, sang quite a different tune, "A
Sky-High Expense Account":

Lovely said the travel and other expenses are justified.

"What I'm telling you is all those expenses go to the benefit of this airport," Lovely said in an interview. Nearly all of Gobb's expenses were for airport marketing, public relations and training, he said, adding that no state or federal money was used.

"The airport board did not hire Mike Gobb to sit in his office and wait for the phone to ring," Lovely said in a later e-mail response to questions, adding that the trips raise the profile of the airport and help to bring new carriers to Lexington.

So the airport board paid Mr. Gobb to go out to strip clubs and we can rest assured that "all those expenses go to the benefit of this airport."

Nothing like disclosure of a strip club bill to back up a public official's claim that anything and everything is on the up and up.