Beach's hiring hit at county meeting
The McCracken officials at the fiscal court meeting disagree with the jailer's hiring of a firefighter who resigned.
By Anne Thrower athrower@paducahsun.com--270.575.8653
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
The official record on Jeff Beach's hiring was simple and to the point at Monday's McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting: The court disagrees with this action.
Judge-Executive Danny Orazine and commissioners Ronnie Freeman and Bob Grimm all agreed that Jailer Cliff Gill should not have hired Beach as a deputy jailer earlier this month. Commissioner Zana Renfro was not at Monday's meeting.
Beach, 37, resigned March 10 as a Paducah firefighter amid talk of his possible dismissal. On Feb. 15, he had been caught fishing after calling in sick to work for the second time in less than nine months.
The fiscal court has no say in the hiring of county employees who work for elected officials such as Gill. But the fiscal court does approve adding all new employees to the county payroll.
Orazine acknowledged that Gill was one of the best jailers the county has ever had. "He does a good job; we just sometimes disagree," he said.
Last week Orazine and Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton spoke out against the hiring.
Gill did not attend Monday's meeting or watch it on cable television. Contacted at his home, Gill was especially critical of Paxton, who said last week that Gill was condoning Beach, who was taking advantage of the taxpayers.
Gill said Monday that the jail saves Paducah money by having 10 inmates out in the city working. The jail also provides a computerized photo system to the city police department for use in photo lineups and fingerprints all inmates brought in by the city police.
"The city doesn't put anything in the jail," Gill said. "We save the city almost $500 a day, and we are glad to do it."
Gill said Beach is working out well. Firefighters and deputy jailers do have one thing in common: They are not able to come and go while they are working. "They are serving time for a living," Gill said of his deputies.