Hells yes it’s finally here! The official second birthday of Page One! In just two short years we’ve published more than 3,800 stories and have received tens of thousands of comments. Couldn’t be more grateful or excited to be doing what we’re doing. Couldn’t be more thankful that people of all political bents have made it a point to keep us going by participating in the ongoing poo storm we call Kentucky politics. There have been good times and bad and all of you – even the birthers and closet sex perverts in Frankfort – have helped make each of the past 730 days a little more awesome. Personally, you’ve helped me through some scary health situations, loss of loved ones and through some of the most exciting times of my own life. So thank you.
In celebration, it’s time to announce the winners of our first-ever Golden B.S. Awards. These lucky b.s.ers will receive a fancy pile of golden poo for all of the crap they’ve pulled and the damage they’ve done.
Elected officials, public appointees, reporters and public figures alike. They’re absolutely full of it. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Thank you, dear readers, for making the nomination process for all ten categories so fun and hilarious.
Now the good stuff. The winners. Picking each victor was tough, but, whatever. They can all suck it. Here we go.
Person Responsible for Legislation Requiring the Most Lubricant
State Representative KEITH HALL for the Mountain Water Board legislation which he hilariously denies having anything to do with.
Was tough not awarding this category to State Senator GARY “TAPP TAPP” TAPP for his bigoted SB 68, I admit it. But just knowing he was forced out of running for re-election by a family member threatening to go public with a terrible incident from his teen years is pleasure enough for us.
Reporter Most Likely to Make You Kick Your Television, Burn Your Newspaper or Toss Your Computer
WHAS11 “reporter” CHASE CAIN wins this mess hands-down. His aggressive inquisition of Nina Mosely at Wayside Christian Mission (no matter how badly she deserved it) was absurd. His passive-aggressive Facebook updates are embarrassing. And his silly text messaging story was enough to make most people vomit profusely.
Admittedly, NANCY RODRIGUEZ of the Courier-Journal could have easily won the category after her near-disastrous refusal to accurately cover the Robert Felner scandal at the University of Louisville. But she eventually redeemed herself by getting the story straight and for outworking nearly all of her colleagues in the field to cover higher education.
More importantly, WFPL’s GABE BULLARD will be awarded a magic wind-up robot pencil sharpener. It walks– just like a wind-up Dubya figurine! All for his terrifying robot voice promo.
Fox 41′s JULIE TAM really should win the golden poo because of her blue glove story. The Taminator made a name for herself that is only bolstered by her love of guns, turning entire rooms of her apartment into closets and making dozens upon dozens of sad tribute videos to her dead hamster (really, it made us sad).
Most Constipated Politician – For the Candidate Who Campaigned for Something and Was Counted On to Bring It…. But Couldn’t Produce Shit When the Pressure Was On
This obviously goes to GOVERNOR STEVE BESHEAR. For his inability to pass any form of casino gambling — twice — after declaring it the solution to all of our problems. It was so important to his gubernatorial campaign that he literally had no other plan for the Commonwealth, not even after being in office for more than a year.
Politician Most Likely to Be Investigated or Indicted in the Next 12 Months
The winner is Louisville Mayor and Lt. Gubernatorial Candidate JERRY ABRAMSON for his various dealings. Not the least of which include openly funneling millions of dollars to his pals at Cordish, his Housing fiasco or the mess at Metro Animal Services with his corrupt and embarrassing head honcho.
Yes, State Representative and homophobe LARRY CLARK should win this for his direct involvement in the Museum Plaza legislation. But Jerry is far more troublesome for the Commonwealth and is responsible for much more.
Worst Example of Total Incompetence From a Local or State Official in an Appointed Post
GILLES MELOCHE, Director of Louisville Metro Animal Services, for total incompetence and the unbelievable disappearing act he’s perpetrated involving missing animals and official records.
Elected Official, Appointee or Contractor Responsible for the Most Flagrant & Vile Abuse of Taxpayer Money
Transportation Secretary JOE PRATHER for his involvement in the Ring Road scandal. This is one of the most underreported messes in the Commonwealth. It’s so vile that most in Frankfort looked the other way as he stood to directly profit from a $20 million dollar road project that is the subject of numerous lawsuits and ethics rulings. While the Beshear Administration and the Courier-Journal attempt to paint the man as the second coming who is responsible for cleaning up all kinds of problems in the transportation cabinet, he’s quietly slinking away to line his pockets with untold riches.
Lexington Mayor JIM NEWBERRY comes in at a close second for his involvement with Dudley Webb and the destruction of an entire historic block in the city of Lexington. He’ll also receive the golden poo.
Most Outlandish Case of Double Dipping
CHARLIE BORDERS, former State Senator and now-Public Service Commissioner. Duh.
Individual in Politics or Media With the Worst Diarrhea of the Mouth
University of Louisville President JIM RAMSEY for his televised foot-in-mouth disease reaction during the height of the Robert Felner scandal. Ramsey referred to 30+ faculty grievances as “anonymous crap” and continually defended Felner as the University suffered across the world stage.
Positively Vomitous Case of Do As I Say, Not As I Do
Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate candidate DANIEL MONGIARDO for his attack on Attorney General and fellow U.S. Senate candidate Jack Conway. Mongiardo says Conway hates Kentucky because he attended Duke University. While Mongiardo himself attended McGill University, in Canada, a foreign country. Pot meet kettle!
Most Self-Serving “Public Servant” Who Gets Paid Lots of Dough to Find Ways to Make Him/Herself Rich Off Public Projects
Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent SHELDON BERMAN for his involvement with various boards of directors (like VHS, Inc) which publicly admit he remains on-hand for their direct financial gain.
Congratulations to all the winners! We’ll be packing up the awards and shipping them out in a few days, so watch the mail. We hope you’ll display the fancy golden poo proudly and in a prominent location because you deserve it.
26 responses so far ↓
1 Matt // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Mongiardo did his residency at McGill. Residency is not school. You do it after you graduate medical school. Hate to be a stickler but you don’t pick where you do your residency, you get matched, like the Army. Trust me, that’s how I ended up in the Ville.
2 jake // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Let’s get real, here. Medical Residency is a part of your education.
And he could have very easily stayed inside the United States of America.
3 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Congratulations to all the winners! And happy second birthday to Page One!
I am also pleased to see some of my choices win, especially Mayor Jer.
4 Dan Canon // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I demand a hand recount. Bullard NEEDS that golden shit.
5 jake // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:26 pm
He’s getting it.
Along with the fancy robot.
6 Conservative // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Yeah, but McGill never beat UK on a last-second shot in a big game by a guy who should have been ejected for a flagrant foul earlier in the game. ;-)
7 JTT // Aug 13, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Well, Dr. Meloche did redeem himself a bit with his hands-on response to the flooding at the Animal Shelter – he did, at least, show some crisis leadership there.
8 Ray Re // Aug 13, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hold on to a couple of extra Poos for Jim Ramsey, Jake. His bad year will worsen as the Felner trial exposes many Louisvillians to a scandal they don’t really know (thanks C-J). As for Coach P, Rick has been a rather nasty fellow in this town for years, and more of his exploits will hit the lit stage as sure as Plate Glass Bill Stone will shill his suck-up act again and again and again. It’s the curse of the next fallen shoe.
9 AreYouKiddingMe // Aug 13, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Dr. Meloche has done nothing to redeem himself. The conditions at the Animal Shelter are deplorable. Not because of what happened but before. There are good, caring people who work there tirelessly to help these animals. Children, abused women, homeless people, etc., all have organizations working for them to help out. There is no one for the animals. The work on the new shelter needs to be stepped up. Abramson needs to get this going. I urge all of you if you can, please donate food, rugs, treats, cleaning supplies, etc. Call them they will tell you what they need. These animals are suffering. Most of all, if you want a good pet, please give them a chance. Adoption fees pay for shots, worming. spaying and neutering which would cost much more at a private vet. Meloche should be ashamed of himself for letting this get to the point he has, and Abramson needs to make this a priority. And please, spay and neuter your pets.
10 Freedom100 // Aug 13, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Meloche did nothing to redeem himself. For a long time employees both verbally and in writing told him that the drains were clogged and the place took on water whenever it rained. Did he do anything to correct that situation? NO. Did he have any evacuation plan? NO. Did he have any plan to help the citizens with their pets who could be or were drowning? NO.NO. Did he have any plan to save records so he could identify anything? NO. Is he still sending animals to AAA? YES! AAA says that they only sold/placed five animals in May, none in June and one in July and if you believe that I have a bridge for sale. I say that he deserves three poo awards. Still as incompetent as ever!!
11 JTT // Aug 13, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Unfortunately, most of those were things he could do nothing about, it is ABRAMSON who runs the city, after all. Most city agencies have no plan to save on-site records, and I’ll note, there isn’t much you can do in 20 minutes. Everyone was caught unawares on it, and saving all but 10 kittens and a dog was a Herculean effort.
Not a fan of the man, but he WAS on site and hands-on, which was more than most city agency directors, after all.
12 tbrauch // Aug 13, 2009 at 4:38 pm
“Hate to be a stickler but you don’t pick where you do your residency, you get matched, like the Army.”
My understanding of how it works is that you rank the places you want to do your residency. The highest one you rank that also ranks you is where you end up.
So either Dr. Dan didn’t rank American hospitals highly, in particular he didn’t rank UofL or UK highly, or he wasn’t good enough to get picked by one of those places.
In other words, either he didn’t want to stay in Kentucky or he wasn’t good enough to stay in Kentucky.
In either case, it doesn’t help his Duke defense.
13 jake // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Since McGill is like the Harvard of Canaduh, I’d imagine he just ranked it really high and they ranked him really high.
So he chose not to be in the USA.
14 Freedom100 // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:28 pm
JTT, I must disagree. First of all, many Animal Control Agencies in this Commonwealth have disaster plans. They identify potential disasters and plan for them. Many of these Directors worked Katrina and understand the FEMA guidelines. Abramson didn’t enter into that scam partnership with AAA, Meloche did. Abramson does not make plans for evacuation in an emergency- fire, flood, ice storm, tornado- Meloche does. Who overcrowded the shelter with 500+ animals when it was built to hold 200-250 ? Meloche did just like he did in Tallahassee (shelter held 350 – he jammed it with 600) making it even harder to evacuate. And why was he on site when he has been MIA on a regular basis? Because he had a scheduled appointment with Mike Norman, the city auditor, to go over the audit given to him in mid-June- think we’ll ever see that thing? As I said before, three poo awards for him and still as incompetent as ever!!!
15 EdenSprings // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Dear JTT: Dude…stop doing bong hits before you post about Meloche!
To say that most of those things he “could do nothing about” shows that you have not wrapped your mind around the sheer vastness of this man’s evil and depravity.
To begin with, the REASON those animals needed to be rescued in the first place were: 1) Meloche failed to heed employee warnings about REGULAR FLOODING AT THE SHELTER DURING NON-MONSOON CONDITIONS; 2) He disregarded the need for an evacuation plan (much less practice drills) in direct opposition to Metro policy, not to mention good sense; 3) Meloche has been MIA at the shelter on a regular basis. The ONLY reason he was even there that day was due to a scheduled meeting to get his butt kicked by Mike Norman over yet another miserably failed audit; 4) the main reason it was a Herculean effort was that he has insisted on overcrowding the shelter to double and triple its capacity–far easier to rescue the 200 that SHOULD have been there than the 500-600 that WERE there. Had the shelter been under the direction of someone with a brain, you would only have needed Charles Atlas, not Hercules to rescue those animals and–who knows?–maybe none of them would have drowned. Oh, and let’s not forget item #5: Meloche is a pathological liar. So, you go ahead and believe that official story about “only 1 puppy and 10 kittys” were lost if you want.
So, let’s see: He is only on site by happenstance; he has created the situation for a disaster by once again failing to follow standard protocols, ignoring warnings, overstuffing the facility and lying to cover it up and you think he has REDEEMED himself? Man!
Meloche’s Poo is righteous. Stop being an apologist for another man’s poo. That’s distrubing.
16 AreYouKiddingMe // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:55 pm
What kind of salary does this do-nothing make? My neighbor has been out there since the storm and since they have been moving the animals back it. She says words can’t describe the sad situation out there and the workers who really do care are doing their best with what little they have to work with. It is hot and muddy and as stated terribly overcrowded. All of you good and kind people on this site, please, if you can help out with anything I know it will be appreciated. The animals shouldn’t have to suffer like this due to the negligence of this man and our mayor. Big lots has fans on sale that I am going to get to donate so that the dogs can have some relief. The cats are mostly kept inside in air conditioned rooms. Very overcrowded, but at least inside.
17 EdenSprings // Aug 13, 2009 at 6:17 pm
$101,761 per year. Boggles the mind, eh?
And, while you’re out there helping (which is admirable) please note that the shelter overflowed with a mix of water and SEWAGE and, due to the nature of the building materials, it cannot be properly disinfected. Add to that the recent panleukopenia outbreak which required that all the cats be euthanized (and after which, once again, no disenfecting was done) and you are now putting back animals that were soaked in RAW SEWAGE and not properly bathed…..EEEEWWW!
That’s what having a DVM in charge of your shelter gets you: Superior care and optimum health.
I think Mother Nature delivered her own Poo Award to a man who truly, truly deserves it. I’m only sorry that–as usual–the animals are the ones who have to suffer at the hands of this maniac.
And JTT, you’re right about Abramson being ultimately responsible for the guy being here and staying here long past his sell-by date. They both need to be replaced.
18 glove laughter // Aug 13, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Really upset with the vote here, but I guess the majority rules. Fox 41′s Julie Tam deserves the Poo…hands…. and toilet seats down! Forget about the lunatic blue glove story. Forget about her one week suspension for her actions at prp high school last year. Anyone who has the nerve to call in to say he or she can’t come to work, because their hamster has died….deserves all the poo the metropolitan sewer district can handle. She’s a real journalist!!
19 templar of truth // Aug 14, 2009 at 7:04 am
Freedom 100 and Eden Springs, it is obvious you have a problem with the man. Do the adult thing and confront him face to face, not cowardly posting anonymously on a blog. You two idiots post on more blogs than here….it is obvious you have more time on your hands. Perhaps you should get a job??? or even better yet, GO VOLUNTEER at the shelter and correct all of these horrible things you inaccurately describe. If you are not going to be part of the solution, SHUT UP!
20 more gloves // Aug 14, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I seriously believe Julie Tam at Fox 41 should have been the clear winner!!! Blue gloves…her one week suspension a year ago for making an idiot of herself at PRP high school…..and this year calling to tell her bosses she can’t come to work because her hamster died!! Recount!!
21 Thinknaloud // Aug 14, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I think Freedom 100 and Eden Springs are trying to be part of the solution and they are to be commended for speaking out when incompetence, abuse and mismanagement in government is taking place. The facts are irrefutable. That means the evidence is overwhelming templar of truth, not.
Why would you suggest people volunteer at the shelter and risk sexual harassment? Are you pimping for Meloche?
Shut up? Yes, you should.
22 EdenSprings // Aug 14, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Temple of Truth: It’s obvious you’re late to this party or you wouldn’t have made a comment like that. We HAVE confronted Meloche to his face. Also, the MFL. And let’s not forget the Council, the Kentucky Board of Vet’y Examiners, a federal judge, a county judge, countless radio and TV stations…the list is endless.
It’s like being in Germany in the 1930′s and trying to point out to folks that fellow with the funny mustache might be two lagers short of a full Oktoberfest.
We are doing everything we can to provide a voice for those who don’t have one: the animals that are suffering and dying needlessly at the hands of a madman.
I’m glad to know that you spend your time volunteering and helping out whatever way you can. We do the same. One of our missions is to keep the name Meloche ever in the media any and every way we can in the hopes that people will read it, see it and start to talk about it and then, maybe, demand something be done about him.
We do it because too many animals have suffered (even died) at his hands, and those animals can’t speak for themselves.
So, yeah. We blog. We raise all the heck we can. We don’t have lots of extra time on our hands. We do this because nobody else is out there doing it and because as long as Meloche remains, money goes missing, people’s pets are illegally confiscated and animals are subjected to disease and death.
BTW, you might check out today’s Front Page for more Meloche news–seems Rick isn’t the only one with a slippery d#*k in this town.
And, just for fun…you might Google “Giles Meloche” sometime. Just ignore the hockey goalie with the same name…
23 Freedom100 // Aug 14, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Templar of Truth -now that’s a joke. In answer to your questions-Clogged drains have everything to do with the dampness and healthful conditions at the shelter. They contributed to the flooding. Second, the statistics relating to AAA came directly from information received in response to a FOIA request. I assume since that request was made pursuant to the Kentucky Open Meetings law, that false information provided pursuant to it is a violation of that law. The numbers of what the shelter was built for came directly from the original plans and Eric Blow, the prior Director. Moreover, one of your own stated in print in a news story relating to the flood, that each of the buildings was built for 100 plus the quarantine building. Records can be backed-up, it’s done all of the time. However, given what has been provided pursuant to FOIA requests, the records that we received are in shambles. You seem to defend this reign of terror by calling names and throwing out all kinds of personal attacks.
A dear friend once said that in order for evil to triumph all that must happen is for good people to sit on their hands and do nothing. We will continue to fight for the voiceless both animal and human. Dr. Meloche’s statement in a sworn deposition that it part of a federal court record, when asked”[s]o you don’t think that the fact that they have to pay a fee- a higher fee discourages people?” He replied , ” No, not poor people. First, we know one thing, they barely go to veterinary clinics. Should the fee of the veterinary clinic be lower to accommodate them maybe, maybe not. But it’s everything, the kind of food that they’re going to buy, if they buy some. Most of the cruelty that I’ve seen-that we see are from, of course poor neighborhood, and it’s a dynamic”. That statement speaks volumes. For all of the people who have lost their pets to his reign of terror, for all of the pets euthanized before their holding period expired , for all of the people whose pets were spayed when they were already spayed, for all of the people who reclaimed their pets or adopted pets who were so sick they either died or incurred huge vet bills, for all of the people whose homes were entered and animals seized under an alleged provision in the Ordinance that even the sponsors say was never their intention, for all of the people who run for cover when animal services comes down the street, for all the animals who have been left to suffer and die there, for all the good and caring employees who have been made to endure this horror and for all the good employees who have done the right thing and sought protection under the “Whistle Blowers Law”, we WILL continue to fight.
Believe it or not there are Animal Control Directors who have success under the Nathan Winograd Model. There are those who have empty shelters because they do it right- look at Shelby County. There are those whose officers are welcome in neighborhoods because they are true public servants and ride in the summer with coloring books and popsicles for the children and educate them along the way. There are Directors who are involved in a positive way with their communities providing shelter for the pets of women and children or other homeless people entering shelters and then returning them clean, well fed and smiling when the human crisis is over. There are Shelter Directors that are so uniformly loved by their communities that they don’t have to ask for donations, food, toys, and supplies are overflowing. I could go on and on. Wake up! The solution will not begin until Dr. Meloche and all that abide by his controlling draconian philosophy are gone and Louisville Metro has a Director that we can be proud of.
24 templar of truth // Aug 15, 2009 at 7:39 am
Hmmmm…..that’s interesting…..my post from last night was deleted? By whom? Is that what happens when somebody with a moderate opinion (looking for solutions, not just negative bashing) posts? That goes to show what this site is about…..and is now a joke.
25 jake // Aug 15, 2009 at 11:33 am
Went through our records. There have been no deleted comments in more than 72 hours (spam) and nothing is caught in moderation.
26 EdenSprings // Aug 16, 2009 at 9:19 am
Jake: Freedom100 said that Templar of Truth did have a post up on Aug 14 which is now missing. Said when the ‘Submit’ key was hit, was surprised to see that Templar’s post disappeared. Part of Freedom’s last post at 11:26 was in response to Templar’s missing one.
It was not there at 7:30 when I put my post up and I never saw it, but she is very truthful & was no reason to lie about this. At least it gives you a window of time to check.
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