Published: July 21, 2008 04:46 pm      

Nighbert resigns position with Williams’ office

FRANKFORT — Bill Nighbert, the former Transportation Cabinet Secretary, has resigned his job with the office of Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville.

Nighbert resigned on Friday, July 11, according to Williams’ Chief of Staff Becky Harrelson.

Nighbert was Secretary of Transportation for Gov. Ernie Fletcher and was indicted and pardoned in the Merit System investigation of Fletcher and his administration. Williams hired Nighbert as an advisor on transportation issues when Fletcher’s administration ended after Fletcher lost last fall’s gubernatorial election to Democrat Steve Beshear.

“He told me when he came here, he was going to stay on for maybe only six months,” Williams said Monday. “He called me and said he thought it was a good time to move on.”

Attempts to reach Nighbert by telephone were not successful and he did not return a message seeking comment.

Williams said Nighbert has accepted a position with an employer in southeastern Kentucky, but he didn’t know the name of the company. He said he thought the job involved consulting on financial matters for local governments.

Nighbert’s resignation occurs while a reported grand jury investigation is under way into the awarding of road contracts by the Transportation Cabinet during Fletcher’s administration. Williams said Nighbert made no mention of that in his resignation.

Williams said he hired Nighbert in December because of his experience with transportation issues, local development and local government. Before joining the Fletcher administration, Nighbert was active in the Kentucky League of Cities and served as mayor of Williamsburg.

“I knew then he couldn’t stay long from the very beginning,” Williams said. “He told me he’d been talking about working for some other people, but he had some restrictions on when he could take a job in the private sector.”

Ethics regulations require time to lapse before some government officials can go to work for private businesses that might do work for or with the state.

Williams said Nighbert was paid an annualized salary of about $70,000, “and I knew I couldn’t keep him long for that amount.”

He said Nighbert’s advice was “invaluable” on transportation matters during the regular session and in preparing for litigation between Williams and Beshear over the governor’s veto of the legislatively passed road plan and Beshear’s substitution of a plan devised by his administration.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.