Elected county officials who have expressed shock and dismay over a scathing audit of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) may soon be joined by elected city officials throughout the state. That’s because the office of Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen also is auditing the expenditures of the Kentucky League of Cities and that audit is expected to be released before the end of the year.
While the League’s audit may not be quite as embarrassing as KACo’s audit, it clearly will point to wasteful spending by the League. Sylvia Lovely, longtime executive director of the League, already has resigned over allegations of wasteful spending in an investigative series by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Indeed, the Herald-Leader’s investigation of both KACo and the League of Cities clearly show what an important watchdog role newspapers can still play. The Lexington newspaper provided a service to all Kentucky taxpayers by uncovering abuses of the two organizations that serve the state’s cities and counties.
