Back in January, the lefty blogs in Ohio thought they had a story of "biblical proportions" (their own words) about Kasich, who hadn't even been sworn in yet.
Biblical proportions, eh? Wow. What secret skeleton had they found in Kasich's closet? Was he having an affair? Did he cheat on his taxes? What coup had they discovered that rivaled the parting of the Red Sea? Are you ready for this!?
They revealed Kasich's diabolical plan to...er...supposedly pay his staff more than Ted Strickland did. Yeah.
In a massive coup for the blogosphere of Biblical proportions, Joseph from Plunderbund obtained through a public records request the salaries of GOPer Gov.-elect John Kasich’s top staffers and guess what? Kasich is planning on paying his staff WAY more than Gov. Strickland did.EARTH SHATTERING!
After they were done congratulating each other and slapping one another on the back, the Dispatch did an analysis, and found that, no, Kasich's overall staff doesn't make more than Strickland's did.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is living up to his promise to spend less money on employees than did former Gov. Ted Strickland - but by only 0.5 percent, or about $38,500.Still, they needed something to be outraged over. These are liberals we're talking about, remember. Without seething anger and total outrage to fill their lives, they'd be absolutely miserable. So, they expressed their shock at the salaries some of Kasich's staff would earn.
The key for the new GOP governor: Kasich is projecting to hire four fewer staff members and save more than $171,000 on salaries from the previous administration, according to data from the Kasich administration and the Department of Administrative Services.
Strickland’s Communications Director Keith Dailey, for example, currently makes $89,003. While Kasich’s Scott Milburn is getting a bump to $120,000.And yes, they're still at it. They're rearranging numbers and doing everything they can to make it look like some sort of evil scheme is in the works, and that they were right back in January.
Press Secretary Amanda Wurst currently makes $69,992. Rob Nichols will get $90,000.00.
But the big boost is for Chief of Staff.
Strickland’s Chief of Staff John Haseley makes $122,990/year but Kasich’s incoming Chief of Staff Beth Hansen is going to receive $170,000. This is more money than every cabinet member but 3, more than the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, more than the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Speaker and Senate President!
And while John Keeling doesn’t appear to be on the list yet (it’s still very incomplete), Jai Chabria is.
For his long-time friend and the second half of his two man office at Lehman, John Kasich made up a brand new position: Special Assistant to the Governor. And a brand new salary as well: $145,000.
Seriously. The Strickland administration left Ohio with a giant $8 billion hole, and these characters are spending all this time and energy trying to make some sort of case over 0.01% of the state budget. (A rough rounded estimate, folks. $5 million staff out of a $50 billion budget.)
Good grief, people. I understand their obsession with SB5. They are completely, 100% bought and paid for by the unions, so that issue is a matter of survival to them. But this salary issue is ridiculous. Especially when you look at the staff salaries of other Ohio elected officials, which is exactly what the Plain Dealer did recently.
Check out some of the salaries of Democrats working for Democrat Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.
Matt Carroll (D)OMGZ!!1!!1!!1
Position: Chief of staff
Salary: $140,000
Majeed Makhlouf (D)
Position: Law director
Salary: $130,000
Larry Benders (D)
Position: Development director
Salary: $160,000
Ed Jerse (D)
Position: Regional collaboration director
Salary: $107,500
Gerald Fuerst (D)
Position: Clerk of courts
Salary: $75,860
Rick Werner (D)
Position: Human services director
Salary: $117,873
Bonnie Teeuwen (D)
Position: Public works director
Salary: $120,000
Elise Hara (D)
Position: Human resources director
Salary: $125,000
Joseph Gauntner (D)
Position: Deputy chief, human services
Salary: $132,308
Nathan Kelly (D)
Position: Deputy chief, development
Salary: $98,000
Norberto Colon (D)
Position: Deputy chief, justice
Salary: $98,000
Sharon Cole (D)
Position: Deputy chief, operations
Salary: $92,019
Nicole Dailey Jones (D)
Position: Communications director
Salary: $85,000
John Kohlstrand (D)
Position: Press secretary
Salary: $83,000
BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS!!
Now, personally, I couldn't care less what these folks make. But I thought it might interest you to find out that for some high-level positions, the governor's staff doesn't make salaries that are out of line with their counterparts in other government bodies, Republican or Democrat.
But since they want so badly to compare Kasich's staff with Strickland's staff, I'll indulge them. Remember when we talked about how the Strickland administration couldn't follow the simple procedure of appointing people to state posts?
Last month, it was discovered that Board of Education member Martha Harris was never confirmed by the Senate. Why? Did the Ohio Senate not approve her appointment? Was she not qualified?Guess what? Last week, it was revealed that even MORE people are getting screwed by Ted's bumbling administration, long after he left office.
None of the above.
The Ohio Senate never even considered her appointment, because Ted Strickland's office never sent the paperwork to the Senate.
Oops.
...
Four more people, including two from the Cleveland area, sitting on various state boards or commissions could soon be kicked out of their positions.
Republican Gov. John Kasich's office on Thursday sent letters notifying them that there are no records showing they were ever properly confirmed to the board or commission they were appointed to under former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.
Paperwork glitches have tied up six pardons acted on by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland right before he left office.
The administration of current Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) says in five of the cases there's no official documentation that a pardon was granted. The Columbus Dispatch reports the sixth person received his pardon but it's not official because the wrong first name is on the papers.
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Yes, we've had to spend considerable time correcting the multiple lies of this Administration, but not just on the salaries issues. But in this instance, we've had to spend more time because Kasich keeps new ways of misleading the public about the issue.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is, and you don't really refute it, is that Kasich IS, in fact, spending substantially more on his budget, and the biggest reason why is the massive raises he gave his closest aides like Jai Chabria, Beth Hansen, and others.
Kasich hypocritically defends these inflated salaries for his friends while pushing SB 5 because he says he needs to pay them this to keep them from going to the private sector even though in every instance his closest staffers (like Jon Keeling) have demonstrated an almost hive-like alergic reaction to actually having to work in the private sector.
But you keep trying to change the subject. Maybe this blog will at least get back on the ORP's payroll again.
Modern, the point is that you're arguing whether Stickland or Kasich spent .011% or .012% of the budget on their staff.
ReplyDeleteTo everyone else, but you, its insignificant and meaningless.
There are real issues to deal with, like dealing with the deficit that was inherited, and bringing back some of 400,000 jobs lost during the last 4 years.
But you keep rearranging the numbers and the definition of "staff" to make it look like Kasich is spending .001% more of the budget on his staff than Ted. Because thats what people care about when they're putting $4.25 gas in their tank.
Hey Modern...I know you're listening.
ReplyDeleteIf your numbers are correct, that would be a pretty big story.
So...have any real news organizations followed up in your big scoop? Surely, they would confirm your numbers and break the story, right?
Let me know when that happens.
Until then, we know you to be a liar who made up numbers and did a dishonest analysis (or as you call it, a plunderbund analysis).
Lead by example John. LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Paying a choice few more money and cutting jobs, we can call this The John Kasuck jobs for Ohioans. Oh wait they weren't Ohioans until the new "King of Ohio" gave them their jobs. You get what you elect Ohio.
ReplyDelete