Ky. Governor Tearfully Admits Affair

Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton admitted in a news conference he had an improper relationship with a western Kentucky nursing home operator who is suing him for sexual harassment.

However, he continued to deny that he used his influence to help or hurt her saying, "Under no circumstances have I or anyone under my direct control tried to punish Mrs. Conner."

"I hope she will go forward with her life as I am going to try to go forward with mine."

Patton, his voice cracking, frequently stopped to recover his emotions.

"It's not easy for me to discuss private failures in a public forum but I do so because I want to be honest with the people of Kentucky and try to earn their trust and respect again."

Judi Patton did not attend the brief press conference where Patton read a statement, hugged other family members and then left without taking questions. A spokeswoman said Judi Patton was at home in Pikeville with her sisters.

Appearing distraught and tearful, the governor said he wanted to "apologize to the people of Kentucky for my failure as a person." He said he already apologized to first lady Judi Patton and members of their family for his "unfaithfulness."

"Sunday night I was informed that an inappropriate personal relationship of mine was revealed to the press as part of a lawsuit that was going to be filed," an emotional Patton said.

"Realizing the impact this would have on Judi and the rest of my family and friends, my first response was to deny my unfaithfulness to Judi. I was wrong. The denial was another mistake," Patton said.

He also expressed the desire to regain the trust of the people of Kentucky at the conference.

One of the sources said Patton was distraught and expressed remorse for betraying his friends and family.

The announcement of the news conference came after reports that phone records showed more than 400 phone calls from the governor's office to phone numbers used by the woman.

Political associates who talked Friday with Patton said he told them he planned to acknowledge he had a relationship with Tina Conner, who has alleged she met Patton for sex numerous times in 1997 through 1999. Conner said Patton continued to call her and said she broke off the relationship in October 2001 and found state regulators at her nursing home in Clinton two months later.

"He said he's going to come clean," said one of the sources who was called by Patton. "He said, `I want you to know at no time did I misuse the office of governor.' What his coming clean is, he never said. I guess you could guess."

Patton was served with a lawsuit by the owner of a western Kentucky nursing home, alleging that he provided extraordinary state assistance to her and her business because of a sexual relationship they were having. The suit also alleged that when Tina Conner broke off the relationship, Patton turned state regulators loose on her nursing home, which was cited for numerous violations.

The nursing home subsequently lost its Medicaid and Medicare funding, has filed for bankruptcy protection and is the subject of a foreclosure suit by a local bank.

Patton earlier this week acknowledged knowing Conner and her former husband, Seth Conner, but denied any improper conduct.

Patton told a Louisville television station early in the week he did not have sexual relations with Conner.

Phone records reported Friday by The Courier-Journal show that from early 1997 to last month, 440 phone calls were placed from Patton's office to five telephone numbers associated with Conner. Just over half of the calls were made to Birchtree Healthcare, the nursing home Conner operates in Clinton.

An additional 160 were made to Conner's cell phone, 38 to her former residence, and 17 to two numbers of a construction company she operated in 2000 and 2001.

Conner's lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that she had a sexual relationship with Patton beginning in the fall of 1997 and ending two years later. During that time, Conner alleged Patton made "lewd" calls to her and that he made harassing calls after she ended the relationship.

The phone records show the governor's office made 65 calls to the Conner numbers in 1997. That increased to 112 calls each in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 the number of calls dropped to 86. In 2001 there were 34 calls, and there have been 31 so far this year.

A spokesman for Patton noted that Conner was also the county contact person for the governor's office and such people are in regular contact.

The telephone records do not show who at the governor's office made the calls.