Gov. Beshear entered office with the goal of leading by example and building an administration that does the same. The Governor's faith has taught him that leadership is not about doing what's popular; it's about doing what's right. To him, this means leading with dignity and respect and putting the team above oneself. In his eyes, each Kentuckian is part of his team, regardless of political affiliation.
Coming together is how we move forward. Every moment we focus on partisanship or national divisions, we fail to address the most important issue at hand: making life better for Kentucky families. From health care to education to economic opportunities, Gov. Beshear's administration sees opportunities to make major, widespread progress. However, this can only be accomplished if our leaders live by the golden rule that everybody is our neighbor and we are better when we work together.
During his inaugural speech, Gov. Beshear promised to lead with an outstretched hand and to work with those around him to serve the people of the commonwealth. This is a commitment he sees through daily to help fulfill the promise of a better life for all Kentuckians.
The Governor believes the people of the commonwealth have more in common than that divides us and that by being on one team – Team Kentucky – transformational change occurs. He also believes Kentuckians deserve an open and honest government – one that works for them.
Gov. Beshear has committed to being transparent about the use of the state airplane, which is used to carry out official state business. To view information regarding use of the state planes by the Governor click here.
To further government transparency, Gov. Beshear also released many public records long withheld by the previous administration and settled legal cases the prior administration had with state news organizations over the release of public records.
For example, in December, the governor released the 2017 proposed pension reform analysis. That analysis, commissioned and withheld for years by the former administration, shows those proposed reforms costing the state retirement systems more money and negatively affecting the retirements of educators and public employees, compared to existing, bipartisan reforms made in 2013.
First elected to public office in 2015, Beshear has released his tax returns for every year he has served, beginning in 2017 when he released his 2016 returns. He was the first Kentucky Attorney General to have released his taxes for each year he held that office.