Public advocate Lewis to retire

Public advocate Ernie Lewis plans to retire Sept. 1, leaving behind a department that he says “will be significantly under funded” because of recent budget cuts.

The Department of Public Advocacy announced Lewis’ retirement on Wednesday. He has been with the department for 31 years, and served as a public advocate for 12 years.

“While I have been able to achieve my most significant goals, I remain deeply concerned by the problems that remain,” Lewis said in a news release.

He said defender caseloads are grossly in excess of national standards, salaries increases are needed for new lawyers, a loan assistance program is needed for public defenders in order to retain them after their initial training period and the department needs a social worker for each office in order to find treatment alternatives for clients. He said next year’s budget will require the department to cut back on representation of thousands of cases for poor Kentuckians.

“I am profoundly disappointed with the failure of the 2008 General Assembly to fund a constitutionally adequate public defender system,” Lewis said. “While we have made much progress over the last 12 years, Kentucky continues to fund its indigent defense system at the bottom of the nation.”

Lewis said in the release that he has accomplished three of his primary goals: Lowering caseloads per attorney from more than 600 cases per lawyer to 436 cases in 2007, increasing defender entry-level salaries from $23,000 to more than $38,000 and converting 73 counties that had private lawyers on contract to full-time. Lewis was appointed public advocate in 1996 and 2000 by Gov. Paul Patton. Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed Lewis to this third term.

Lewis plans to live in Frankfort with his wife, Margaret Townsley. He will continue to train public defenders, work as a consultant with public defender organizations in other states and represent some indigent clients. He also plans to do some public policy work, particularly on criminal justice issues.