By Joe Biesk
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Republican Ernie Fletcher met with state workers Wednesday and promised as governor he would maintain a "strong and solvent" state retirement system and keep the state's merit system intact.

Fletcher met with supporters on the front steps of the Capitol, where he said he meant to assuage any concerns about his administration brought about by "scare tactics." Fletcher, the 6th District congressman, said as governor he would work to lower health care costs for state employees and vowed "vital state services" would not be privatized.

"Change is always something that provokes a little concern in any of us, and I want to assure them that should I have the deep honor and privilege of serving them as their governor, that I want to work with them in a team spirit," Fletcher said.

As governor, Fletcher said he would help boost the morale of state workers and provide a good working environment. Despite the state's anticipated budget woes, Fletcher said he thought he could balance the budget without laying off state employees.

Fletcher said he opposed the idea of allowing state workers to unionize.

"The current merit system has been very effective in keeping politics out of the state government employees' business," Fletcher said. "I believe that it would be a mistake to do anything that would undermine the current merit system, and I strongly support a good, strong solid merit system."

His administration would "do all we can" to provide merit state employees with their promised 5 percent annual raises, Fletcher said.

"As we balance this budget, we will work to return to that as fast as we can," Fletcher said.

Among the audience were employees in the office run by Fletcher's Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Ben Chandler.

Perry Ryan, an appellate prosecutor in the attorney general's office, said about 75 percent of the merit system attorneys he has spoken with are not happy with Chandler's performance as attorney general. Co-workers, Ryan said, are dissatisfied they have not received the raises they felt they were promised.

"It's disenchanting that the same state pays its defense attorneys - who represent the people who are too poor to hire their own attorneys - more than they pay the state's own prosecutors," said Ryan, who said he was not representing either Fletcher's or Chandler's campaign.

Brian Wright, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said some employees did not get pay raises because of the state's budget crunch.

"There were a small number of lawyers in the attorney general's office that wanted a 13 percent pay raise, and are upset because we did not believe these raises were proper at a time when nursing home patients were being evicted due to the state budget deficit," Wright said.

Mark Nickolas, Chandler's campaign manager, said Chandler favors a collective bargaining system for state employees. However, state employees would not be required to join a union or pay dues, Nickolas said.

Meanwhile, Chandler campaigned in eastern Kentucky Wednesday.

At a stop in Ashland, Chandler criticized Fletcher for his support of an energy proposal that Chandler says could lead to higher electricity rates in Kentucky.