Democrats want Sundquist's ties to THP explored

By BRAD SCHRADE
Staff Writer, Tennessean.com
February 9, 2006

Democratic state senators said the political cronyism at the Tennessee Highway Patrol predates Gov. Phil Bredesen's administration and they called yesterday for the former commander under Republican Gov. Don Sundquist to be subpoenaed to testify.

Sen. Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville, and Sen. Tommy Kilby, D-Wartburg, both called for former THP Col. Jerry Scott to testify before the Senate committee reviewing political activity at the patrol.

The move was the latest sign that the Senate Transportation Committee is teetering on a partisan war as its chairman, Mark Norris, R-Collierville, calls for further review. Both Kurita and Kilby objected to Norris' calling former THP trooper Bryan Farmer before the committee Monday.

Farmer, a Republican, told committee members he was retaliated against and run off from the patrol after Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen took office.

Kurita said that Scott held a fundraiser in which $64,000 was raised for Sundquist.

"If we are going to fix this, we have to go back in time and not just focus on this administration," Kurita said. "Let's look and see what the problems were, how long they've been going on; and let's really take a look at how deep this goes."

Asked if she also would favor subpoenaing Col. Lynn Pitts, Bredesen's appointee who was forced out in December amid claims of cronyism, Kurita said: "I don't have any problem with doing that at all, but I am focused on this one that I do have the documentation about."

Later in the day, her staff provided two news articles from February 1995 — one from the Chattanooga Times, the other from the Knoxville News-Sentinel — in which political activity in the patrol was mentioned. The staff also produced a list of campaign contributors to Sundquist from his 1998 bid for re-election and a 1998 employee roster from the highway patrol.

There was no explanation regarding the lists, although some names circled on the fundraising list matched names on the lists of troopers. Scott was listed as having given $1,000 to Sundquist on Sept. 17, 1998.

The Tennessean has been investigating the patrol since August. It has found a pattern of troopers who contributed money to Gov. Bredesen's campaign later getting promoted.

A story in November showed that two-thirds of the troopers promoted since Bredesen took office in 2003 gave money to his campaign or had family members or political patrons who had.

The newspaper also reported that the political influence and fundraising pressures at the patrol go back decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Also cited was a report from 1966 in which troopers were complaining about being shaken down for campaign contributions.

Kurita did not bring forth any of that material.

Norris said his sole goal is revising the state's Little Hatch Act, which is designed to insulate state government employees from having to participate in political activities or fundraising to get ahead. It also is designed to ensure state government employees are performing their duties and not involved in political activity on state time.

However, members of the state legislature and the governor's staff are exempt from the law.

"The exception swallows the rule right now and makes the statute very confusing and convoluted," Norris said. He said it was up to the committee whether to subpoena Scott or anyone else.

"If we think it will further the purpose of considering and drafting remedial legislation as we move forward, then it's appropriate," Norris said.