The state of Kentucky’s approval of a traffic signal near a state transportation official’s home created an inaccurate perception that state resources were misused for personal benefit, said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on Jan. 24.

“Perception is always the problem with these kinds of things,” Beshear told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

His comments come after the newspaper reported that the approval process for the lights near Transportation Secretary Joe Prather’s home in Elizabethtown began on Dec. 12, the same day Prather and Beshear began their jobs.

The signals were installed despite an agency review that found them unnecessary.

“As far as I know, all this went through the proper channels,” Beshear said. “It was approved in proper ways and Secretary Prather didn’t take part in the decision.”

Prather said he had been discussing the traffic light with Elizabethtown officials for more than a year. He said he asked the officials to recommend a signal to the state Transportation Cabinet as a way to deal with increased traffic on the road.