Senate GOP leader seeks to reorganize Kentucky Horse Park Commission; calls for audit

Voicing concern that the Kentucky Horse Park is being harmed by politics and patronage, state Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer filed a bill Friday to reorganize its governing board, whose membership includes former first lady Jane Beshear.

Thayer, R-Georgetown, also called for a full state audit of the 1,224-acre park in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass region in northern Fayette County. It opened in 1978.

Thayer, whose district includes part of the park, also said he has no confidence in the park’s executive director, Jamie Link; commission chair Alston Kerr; and Jane Beshear.

Link was selected as the park’s executive director in October 2014. He had been former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s deputy chief of staff.

Link has held a number of management positions within state government since he joined the Department of Parks in 1985 as a business manager. He has been a deputy secretary for the Finance Cabinet and the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and was deputy executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park in 2006. He also served as the chief executive officer for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Beshear named his wife to the commission shortly before he left office last December.

Thayer said Kerr is a close friend of the Beshears.

Asked if his bill were directed at Link, Beshear and Kerr, Thayer said “no, but it’s a problem when the governor appoints his wife and friends to such positions.”

The former governor fired back at Thayer on Friday afternoon.

“Once again, Sen. Thayer’s mouth began working before his brain engaged,” Beshear said in a statement. “If he actually looked at the facts and evidence surrounding the Kentucky Horse Park, he’d know that the park is in the middle of an unprecedented era when it comes to its roles as both a leading tourist attraction and a focal point for Kentucky’s equine industry.”

Beshear said the park is thriving, hosting more events than ever, including charitable and civic events that cater to a non-equestrian crowd and its revenues are at an all-time high.

The former governor called Thayer’s comments about his wife “a red herring and ridiculous to boot.”

“Everybody in Kentucky knows that Jane has been involved with the Horse Park since it was created and served many years on both the commission and the Horse Park Foundation,” he said. “Because of her passion, experience and knowledge, there’s not a person in the commonwealth more qualified to serve on this board than Jane Beshear.”

Thayer said his Senate Bill 200 would reconstitute the commission and reduce its membership from about 18 to nine. The new governor, Republican Matt Bevin, would appoint its members, Thayer said.

Thayer, during a floor speech in the Senate, produced a March 2015 audit of the horse park conducted by the state Finance and Administration Cabinet that revealed several financial irregularities. They included not making timely payments to vendors, improper registration of vendors and a lack of internal financial controls.

The audit covered July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2014.

Steve Beshear said the audit cited by Thayer took place before the current management team took over, and significant improvements have already been made based on that audit.

Mike Goins, a spokesman for state Auditor Mike Harmon, said Harmon will review Thayer’s bill and talk to him about a full audit of the park. The last full performance audit of the park was in 1997, said Goins.

Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage Don Parkinson said in a statement that his cabinet “encourages an updated audit to be finalized as soon as possible to determine what operational adjustments Horse Park management introduced in light of this 11-month old investigation.”

“We join Sen. Thayer in his concern for the financial oversight of one of the commonwealth’s top tourist attractions,” Parkinson said. “Improving financial stewardship and oversight are the top goals of the new leadership team at the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.”

Thayer also questioned the need for a nearly $106,000 contract the horse park had with a Lexington company, Upper Right Marketing, for gift shop inventory.

Some park employees, Thayer said, have told him of low morale and political patronage.

He said he also has heard complaints from campers that fees are too costly and from various equine associations that they cannot hold events at the park “because of exorbitant fees.”

“The Kentucky Quarter Horse Association can afford only one horse show a year at the park,” he said.

Thayer said he hopes his bill is assigned to the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee. He declined to predict how it would fare in the state House.

The Kentucky Horse Park is an agency of the tourism cabinet and employs 78 full-time and 62 seasonal employees. The park is an equine-themed tourist destination, the largest attraction in Central Kentucky, and an equine competition facility hosting some of the nation’s top horse shows and equine sporting events annually.

The park hosted some 800,000 visitors and 18,400 competition horses in 200 special events and horse shows in 2013, and hosted more than 1 million visitors in 2010 when the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games were held on its grounds.

Thayer’s introduction of his horse park bill prompted Sen. Joe Bowen, R-Owensboro, to say the state should look closely at divesting itself of liabilities and using proceeds from them to pay for ailing public pension plans.

Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, responded that he would never support turning over the horse park to a private enterprise.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said he is not advocating the state give up any parks but it’s an issue the legislature should consider.

“This will not be a political divide. It will be a regional divide,” he said. “We’re going to have to look at everything we spend money on.”

He noted that Kentucky’s parks are seeking $240 million for investments.

Bevin, during his campaign, mentioned the idea of privatizing state parks.

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Senate GOP leader seeks to reorganize Kentucky Horse Park Commission; calls for audit."