After less than a week on the job, the new Director of Resorts for Kentucky State Parks has resigned. In his resignation letter, John Rittenhouse of Cadiz explained he was leaving because of publicity surrounding a 2013 ethics violation.
The Executive Branch Ethics commission found Rittenhouse violated the state’s Ethics Code when he entered into a contract to buy a restaurant on a marina subleased from the Department of Parks within 6 months of resigning from his position as Kenlake State Resort Park manager. Rittenhouse maintains he did not violate the ethics code, though he did pay a $1,500 fine. In his letter, Rittenhouse says the negative publicity surrounding the settlement “is more than the new administration deserves.”
