Capitol View Commentary

By Pat Nolan, Senior Vice President, Dye Van Mol & Lawrence Public Relations
WTVF
December 2, 2005

Governor Bredesen is in the process of wrapping up his now annual state budget hearings. I've been following each day the news stories and the schedule of those departments set to appear.

One group I haven't seen on the schedule is THE TENNESSEAN. Now don't laugh too hard. The paper seems to know more these days about what's going on in various state agencies (especially the Department of Safety and the Highway Patrol) than either the Governor or his commissioners.

I really thought the Governor and his staff would have gotten on top of the situation at Safety by now. But it seems almost daily the paper (and then the rest of the media) is reporting some new element of what is now becoming known as "Troopergate".

In fairness this is not a problem that began on Governor Bredesen's watch. The Governor has revealed there was an audit done 5 years ago that uncovered troopers who were working for the agency even though they would have trouble passing a background check because of previous felony issues and other problems.

So why has almost nothing been done about this until it comes to light in the media? And I thought people underwent background checks (especially for sensitive law enforcement and now homeland security positions like Highway Patrol) before not after they went on the government payroll? Unfortunately for the Governor, all this gives additional gravity and political importance to earlier reports that two-thirds of troopers who have been promoted under the Bredesen administration had given him campaign contributions.

Maybe the Senate Transportation Committee chaired by Republican Mark Norris can come up with some answers. That group seems ready to launch an investigation, if it can get the information it needs from the Administration.

This is precisely NOT the scenario the Governor needs just as he is calling a special session of the General Assembly together to approve new ethics legislation nor what he needs as he heads into his re-election year in 2006.

But it looks like that's exactly where he's headed. And it sure won't do much to help those lagging job performance poll numbers.