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Feb4
With Legal Questions Now Being Raised, Ryan Quarles’ Billboard Has Been Removed, But His Misuse of UK Interview Continues
28 CommentsPosted February 4th, 2010 6:00 am
Last week, a billboard was put up in Lexington, paid for by the University of Kentucky and prominently promoting a 15-foot tall image of Ryan Quarles, the Republican candidate for the State House of Representatives.
On Wednesday night, the billboard was gone. Questions are now being raised about whether the coordination of the photographs with Quarles’ web page and the use by Quarles of a UK produced interview on his campaign web page to promote his candidacy violate any campaign finance laws. Quarles is a third year law student at the University of Kentucky, a potential future attorney, and has also been the campaign chairman of the previous campaign of Damon Thayer. This post does not advance any opinion about whether the photo coordination and the interview use violate any campaign finance laws, although this and previous posts point out that both issues are inappropriate misuses of public funds.
What is known is that Quarles yesterday at first appeared responsible enough to have at least taken down the interview. His personal Facebook page and his campaign Facebook page were not visible. However, today the interview and his campaign page are back up on his Facebook site, including the interview which is copyrighted by and produced with funds of the University of Kentucky.
Again on his campaign’s Facebook site, Quarles has grabbed copyrighted interview material, and noted that it is copyrighted, and nonetheless used it to promote his political campaign. On September 16, 2009, Quarles was featured in a six-minute interview on the University of Kentucky’s public radio station, WUKY. His interviewer was none other than University of Kentucky President Lee Todd. During the interview, Lee Todd shows he is aware of Quarles political party connections, and points out to the audience that Ryan Quarles interned in Washington for Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.
In that interview, Quarles feels it is important to point out that his family has been in Kentucky since the 1790s. Oh, and he “grew up on a family farm, earning my pay through sweat and calloused hands.” The entire interview is archived on WUKY’s web site, and can be heard by clicking here:
The screen shot below shows that Quarles has used the copyrighted WUKY interviews on his personal political campaign Facebook website. Click on the image to view it in a separate window, which can then be clicked on again to enlarge for full viewing.
So, in addition to having photographs coordinated with a huge billboard paid for with public dollars, Ryan Quarles has also used a copyrighted audio interview with President Lee Todd on his campaign web site. Did Quarles use this material with or without the permission of the University of Kentucky?
As noted Tuesday, if Quarles has the permission of the University of Kentucky, such a use is wrong in two very significant ways. First, such a use is inappropriate because it lets Quarles promote himself using material prepared for with public funds. Second, such a use is wrong because it strongly suggests that that University of Kentucky President Lee Todd and the University of Kentucky are endorsing Ryan Quarles as a political candidate.
The post yesterday commended Quarles for at least stopping the wrongful use of the interview, while noting that he had still not accepted responsibility or admitted his mistake. Unfortunately, even that limited commendation must now be revoked, since Quarles’ campaign site is again public, and again prominently features materials produced with public funds that are being misused to promote his political campaign and suggest a U.K endorsement of his candidacy.U.K. President Lee Todd was willing to take strong steps to correct the billboard. It is unfortunate that Mr. Quarles does not yet even recognize the need to stop misusing public resources, especially since he is not only a potential future attorney, but has previously served as a campaign manager for Damon Thayer, which means he should be familiar with not only what is appropriate but also what is legal.
28 Responses to “With Legal Questions Now Being Raised, Ryan Quarles’ Billboard Has Been Removed, But His Misuse of UK Interview Continues”
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I find it quite funny for some self righteous anonymous blogger to criticize someone who has really worked for everything he has. I believe we need more people in Frankfort who knows what it is like to earn “pay through sweat and calloused hands.” Ryan is a true Kentuckian! What have you ever accomplished besides make false accusations?
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Anonymous February 4th, 2010 at 11:06 am
I agree with the post above. THe way you wrote your blog you seem very cynical about him growing up on a farm and working for what he has. Ryan does work on a farm even now and I think its important people know this because it means he’ll actually undersand what its like to work for what you have.
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Anonymous February 4th, 2010 at 11:07 am
When are you going to get a new topic? This is so old, surely you have something new you want to harp about.
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Pirates of the Cumberland February 4th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
My daddy always said that if you have to tell everbody how callused your hands are, the probably aren’t.
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Anonymous February 4th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I only had a semester of intellectual property law in law school, so I’m not completely up on the complex issues of copyrights and permission like clearly you seem to be. I wanted to ask though, and get your opinion, if Quarles were a musician and he had done an interview with or played live on UK Public Radio, would he not be allowed to link that audio clip to a personal website in order to promote himself as a musician?
Additionally, do you find it more grievous that he posted the interview itself or that more than a month before he announced his intent to run for this house seat, he participated in a weekly interview series that Lee Todd does to highlight and promote UK? I personally find it significant to the question that each week I hear Lee Todd interview or describe an outstanding person or program on WUKY. Certainly this interview was not a random isolated event geared toward the promotion of Ryan Quarles, but rather, much like the billboard, geared toward the promotion of the university.
All that being said, however, I do agree that this topic is getting tired. As a registered democrat and a proud liberal, I can say affirmatively and with no doubt in my mind that the problems with Kentucky politics run much more deeply than one house race Republican primary and by consistently harping on one issue, you disservice your readers.
And finally, I’ve shook that man’s hand and I can vouch for the callouses.
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=) @ 950, do you see the irony of your post? First, I am not anonymous, while you are. Second, you are saying you need more people in Frankfort who know what it is like to earn “pay through sweat and calloused hands.” You are speaking about a person who cannot distinguish right and wrong when it comes to use of resources such as taxpayers dollars that do not belong to him. That is the exact opposite of earning pay through sweat and calloused hands.
In one sense though, you may be right–Ryan is a true Kentuckian, in the sense of his protege, disgraced governor Ernie Fletcher, and too many others to mention who can’t seem to keep their hands out of our wallets.
And concerning what I have accomplished, what I have accomplished has been of my own doing. I am fairly satisfied with what I have accomplished, and it was most certainly not done by using money and resources that belong to other people. I am also absolutely certain that I am more of a farm boy than Quarles ever thought about being. But I’m not going to list what I have accomplished, because that is arrogant, and besides, I am not running for anything but the county line. And even if I was a candidate for something, it just is creepy, self-centered, immature and disingenuous for anyone to speak in such a self-promoting way about themselves. I’ll guarantee you one thing-any self respecting country boy wouldn’t talk like that.
Finally, instead of just flinging unsubstantiated name-calling, what do you contend I have said that is false?
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I have checked the Democratic voter rolls, and the liberal list, and there is no “anonymous” registered on either list.
You must be from out of state. -
“And even if I was a candidate for something, it just is creepy, self-centered, immature and disingenuous for anyone to speak in such a self-promoting way about themselves.”
so is this your first or second semester as a poli sci major? you want to go canvass for beshear soon? word is they’re giving out wicked t-shirts this time.
dude, you cannot be serious. that is not just a double standard, it’s some kind of singling-out standard. what kind of politician in the modern united states has not touted himself as some kind of man of the people? every since the backlash against our party being seen as “ivory tower intellectuals,” we’ve even been getting on the boat! pres. obama bragged that he was the son of a goat herder.
he’s not even the goat herder! he’s the SON of a goat herder! if that’s not pointless self-aggrandizement, that i don’t know what in god’s name is. i challenge you to make your next article on quarles a discussion of his economic policy. i defy you to do it.
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ah, i’m sorry for the double post. that was unintentional. if you can delete the first one, do it. premature clicking.
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Luke, this is getting worn. Ryan Quarles is not a good potential public leader because he uses public resources for his own personal goals. I’m not going to go off on any tangents because he has shown he isn’t able to tell right from wrong, and worse yet, won’t accept personal responsibility for his actions.
You could tell me his economic policy was the greatest thing since trickle-down economics and it wouldn’t matter. He’s tainted, and has shown he doesn’t know right from wrong. That is the issue. Kentuckians are tired of public resources being diverted for private use.
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Anon at 3:29, my concern was not with copyright violation. I have no idea about that topic. For me, the significance of the copyright is that it showed that indeed this interview was made by the University of Kentucky with public resources. As I stated earlier:
If Quarles has the permission of the University of Kentucky, such a use is wrong in two very significant ways. First, such a use is inappropriate because it lets Quarles promote himself using material prepared for with public funds. Second, such a use is wrong because it strongly suggests that that University of Kentucky President Lee Todd and the University of Kentucky are endorsing Ryan Quarles as a political candidate.
Concerning his hands, see my 7:04 comment.
Concerning the “move along, there’s nothing more to talk about here” request (this topic is getting old), respectfully, I welcome all views here. I have said before that I think in an open and free exchange of ideas, those with merit can prevail. But as the person putting the posts up, I would expect it would my choice to identify subjects. I hope the subjects don’t get old for readers, but the additional developments on what seems to me to be a startlingly inappropriate pair of actions by Quarles are of interest to me, and I will continue to write about them.
You’re welcome to stick around, and tell me when I’m wrong, or, if the topics are old to you, of course, you’re welcome to skip over them.
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For the record, unless Bob pulls this down.
Bob grew up on a farm in Whiskey County … Now Kentucky whiskey ain’t Scotch.
Bob graduated from UK. At least once – at least that’s what the law degree on the wall says.I ask all sorts of questions about horse farming of Bob, caaauuuuuuuuuuuse I grew up on a cattle farm and am curious about what I mist. Our farm Isn’t Scotch either, I prefer Single Malt – Laphroiagh, if I can find it. I’ll also admit I’m slightly jealous of Bob, cause he answers more & faster ‘n they do on that game show.
See … that’s the difference between Bob & youse guise: he’s genuine, up-front, on-the-record and pays to play. You Anons out there are freeloaders & have no ‘bottom’ as my favorite English Parliamentarian (Francis Urquhart – the PM) likes to say. When he says no bottom, what he means is, you are an ass.
That famous president ronald reagan said there is no such thing as a free lunch. I took it at the time as an allegorical statement concerning the role of accountability in our culture. Buuuuuuuuuut Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! It was braggadocio, directed at Democrats. There is no free lunch for Dems and Dems are gonna pay the bills for republican’ts for as long as republican’ts control media and access to the truth.
republican’ts —- your days in the sun, lunching at the public’s expense are OVER!!!!!!!!
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Anonymous February 4th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
same bob layton that is a state employee???
can a state employee run a political blog?? -
Anonymous February 4th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
one bob layton is a lawyer in the bar association
and one is a merit state employee
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i think one issue is wrong, so i REFUSE to discuss any others!
you are right, this is old. later on.
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I believe freedom of speech applies to anyone, anon at 9:43 and 9:50. Even though a blog has no governmental action, for example, I try to extend the principle to mine, even to peeps who like to throw in extra question marks!
If you would like to direct me to any law that you think overrides the First Amendment (and there certainly are some), I’d be glad to look at it. Unlike some folks, I will accept responsibility when I make mistakes. It’s a great feeling to be able to do that and learn from the past, instead of stonewalling and avoiding responsibility.
But I’ve looked at it, and I don’t see anything that keeps me from blogging.
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Anonymous February 5th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Are you a merit state employee? For a merit employee: All persons subject to the personnel rules have a right to privately express their political opinions. I wouldn’t consider this blog private. I would say there are some legal questions that could be raised about your activity here.
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Congratulations Bob, you know you have “arrived ” when the Right Wing smear machine begins to question your integrity, after they lose the argument. (the billboard has been taken down)
Not only have you upset the Right, but you even have a so-called “liberal/democrat” attacking you.
You must be doing something correct! -
i wasn’t going to drop any more of my thoughts here, but i have to point out to the 10:52 anonymous that the quoted passage is from permitted activities. if you’ll review their prohibited activities, none of what mr. layton does here falls under those definitions. when they say “privately,” i believe they mean anything not directly involving candidacy or the election process.
also, bob, good piece on the super bowl ad. i hadn’t heard about the mancrunch thing, and i think the whole thing is a shame. i love that site. <—showing my colors, and yes, they are carefully coordinated.
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Luke, you’re welcome whenever, even if there is no resolution on a particular post or issue.
10:52, to reply to your issue, there was a time in state government when expressing particular political beliefs would lead directly to the firing of a merit employee. During the period from 2003 to 2007, anyone who disagreed with the Republican positions was subject to being fired for those opinions.
During that time, I had to change jobs and also voice my opinions under a nom de plume in order to avoid being fired. That was a surprisingly un-American view of expression of beliefs, and a frightening time for many Kentuckians.
Your question is strikingly familiar to those the Fletcher administration personnel poised during that time. Did you work for that administration? Because that sort of illegal attacking of merit employees based on their political beliefs and affiliation led to a massive criminal case involving a huge number of people within the Fletcher administration, including Ernie Fletcher himself who only avoided criminal responsibility by pardoning everyone else and then accepting a plea bargain that acknowledged his wrongdoing.
Of course, Kentuckians also rejected that sort of political discrimination, and voted strongly against it in 2007. Whether our governor is a Republican or a Democrat, a man or a woman, I hope they never forget that lesson.
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LumberJock February 5th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
While driving from F’Fort to G’Town todday, it occurred to me that since quarles is featured on the recordings and all typical releases were on record, it may not be illegal for quarles to use the recordings with permission. They weren’t made with political intentions. quarles participated with political intention. It’s illegal for quarles to even be in them. He participated with an undisclosed motive, not disclosed in a timely manner, that is in its most favorable light inappropriate. This is theft by deception. He’s now a crook of the highest order of republican’t magnitude! He’s elegible to run for gubner.
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Anonymous February 6th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Lumberjock your post never make sense, they make me embarrassed to call myself a democrat.
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Quarles has risen through the ranks and has won huge recognition for his accomplishments at UK. He was even featured at halftime and recognized during a UK basketball game some time back at Rupp Arena. John Calipari has twittered about him. They are very proud of him and his academic accomplishments at UK. There may be some kind of a point with him being featured on the billboard and him now having filed for office, however, and the university will need to look into that as free advertising. He’s still a student at UK regardless of whether or not he’s a candidate, but you do have a point that UK may need to reconsider using him in advertising him as a student now that he has also filed for office.
That said, I looked up his facebook page, and there is nothing whatsover to support your accusations against Quarles with regard to the videos. He did not “post copyrighted material produced with public funds”, he posted a link to an interview featuring him in it housed on a separate website. There is nothing indicating he has been endorsed by anyone as you have falsely stated. He did not copy and upload it to his website as you seem to be trying to portray it as, and it is plain to see it to anyone looking at
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…it. The interview is also from well before he filed to run for office. It’s amazing you would accuse Quarles of not knowing right from wrong, when you are making false allegations with absolutely no foundation in fact. “Misuse of interview.” Beyond ridiculous.
Physician, heal thyself.
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Dee, you are ignoring basic facts. Quarles announced his candidacy in April of 2009. So you are wrong about that. You are also wrong when you say he did not use public resources. He most certainly did post copyrighted material produced with public funds.
Further, the interview he uses to promote his political personal goals is made with public money, and once he is a candidate that is wrong. It is further wrong because the president of the University of Kentucky appears to be endorsing his candidacy and promoting him. Your contention is that just because it might have been acceptable at one point, a subsequent wrongful effect should be allowed. Do you really believe that? Because I have never heard that as a justification for a wrongful act before.
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LumberJock February 13th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Let’s face it. If republican’ts didn’t have relaxed ethical standards, they would have no addressable standards at all. They have become so disconnected from reality, that they argue – inappropriately – that a majority of the citizens of the US don’t want the medical care package endorsed by the Senate, so it (medical care) should be defeated. Statistically – 71% of the voting public want medical care reform similar to the House version. How do we know when a candidate like COnway or Mongiardo is really a republican’t {at least at heart}? His lips move and he’s trying to modify a previously identified position that has been attacked by a fellow republican’t.
I still support Price, Crit Luallen or Kathy Stein, even Robin Webb or Jerry Rhoades would be better than either of these to poseurs or knights of darkness that threaten to cement the republican’t hold on the Senate.
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Anonymous April 12th, 2010 at 12:43 am
NITPICK, NITPICK, NITPICK. Ugh. What’s wrong with working hard on a farm and being proud of it? Geez. I wrote an article for the Kentucky Kernel and posted the link on my Facebook. No, I’m not running for any public office, but no one objected.
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What’s wrong is, it’s not nitpicking when someone who is studying to be an attorney can’t abide by the law. As far as working hard on a farm, I call bullshit. I have worked hard on a farm, and anybody who sits around talking about how hard they’ve worked is a poser. He works for some sort of unknown foreign-dealing corporation. That’s hardly a good ole boy.
He’s silver-spoon raised, and doesn’t know how to follow the law. That’s hardly a nitpick.
You posting a link isn’t using it for political campaign purposes. Quarles clearly did. That’s the difference.
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