First, it was the Lexington Airport. Then the public library. Now, the Lexington Herald-Leader has uncovered the same pattern of abuse of power and privilege in the Kentucky League of Cities, a non-profit organization providing insurance and other services to city governments.

Through open records requests, the newspaper uncovered details of lavish spending on travel and meals by executive director Sylvia Lovely and her top staffers, even as city governments suffered through a financial crisis.

State auditor Crit Luallen, in a follow-up today to Sunday’s story, said there’s not enough oversight and she wants to see policy changes made.

But that won’t likely results in a cut to Lovely’s ridiculous $315,000 compensation package, and drive a BMW SUV provided by her employer. Lovely often takes her husband with her on business trips to KLC expense,  and with her top two aides racked up more than $300,000 in travel expenses since 2006.

Five top staffers, including Lovely, helped themselves to $250,000 in forgivable loans.

What’s most repulsive about all this is that Lovely, in the H-L story, defends the perks as if she’s done nothing wrong in ripping off the 382 Kentucky cities who pay dues. There’s this gem, speaking about city goverments: “If I could, I’d be in every one of them because my heart is breaking for them for what they’re going through. Our travel brings back so much more. If I could explain it to them, I would.”

Here’s what she can’t explain — she’s abusing the office she’s in, plain and simple.  If the KLC’s governing board, which meets June 19, doesn’t fire her then, it may as well roll over and accept the abuse.

A few more examples: In three years, more than $19,000 was spent so that spouses of KLC executives could travel with their spouses; KLC execs spent $21,000 in three years on meals at a restaurant owned by Lovely’s husband; a top exec rents office space to a KLC contractor.

Let’s give credit to the Herald-Leader, which seems to be investigating every organization spending public money. It’s just too bad it’s so easy to find such blatant abuse.