What is it with the weird pay disparity amongst Louisville Metro Council staffers? Let’s hop over to the fancy gubmint salary database for some number addin’ and such. (in case you forgot: queers can count)
Democratic Caucus Director Kenya McGruder makes a whopping $67,829 to babysit David Tandy’s children and work on various campaigns on the city’s dime.
David Tandy’s Legislative Aide Rob Haynes makes $60,986 to tell us what a great person the Metro Council President is and to spin as hard as humanly possible to make us believe the opposite of what’s based in reality.
But Caucus Communications Director Tony Hyatt only makes $53,872? How is that humanly possible and how does that compute? Why is the person who does more work each month than McGruder has in the past few years (we get the press releases and the calls and we see him in action, it’s no secret that he works hard) making $13,957 less than her?
For comparison: Several LAs working for people like Mary Woolridge and Cheri Bryant Hamilton also make more than $60K. But Judy Green’s LA makes $45,906 and Barbara Shanklin’s LA makes just $33,631. Of course Councilcritters set their LAs’ pay scale, but, uh, doesn’t make sense that the Communications Director for the entire group would make less than a Legislative Aide.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
Somebody downtown needs to wake up right away.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Ray Re // Aug 5, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Maybe there’s some truth to the grapevine that David and Jerry are brothers from another mother. I’d lay off Kenya, though, Jake. She’s a Teamster level baby sitter and you do not want to eff with those cats.
2 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Aug 5, 2009 at 6:15 pm
There goes the censorship again.
3 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 6:32 pm
??
4 JTT // Aug 5, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I’m just confused as to what a caucus person actually DOES and why we are paying them in the first place … Howe about you folks just TALK to each other?
5 Bruce Maples // Aug 5, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Doesn’t each council person get a certain amount of money for all their work, and it’s up to them how they spend it? So, they can pay their staff high or low, and it affects what else they have left to spend on other things?
I don’t know — just asking.
6 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Said as much in the story.
7 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:26 pm
What Jake does not point out is that in the case of Cheri Bryant Hamilton, her LA has not only worked for her the last six years of merger but was also her Legislative Aide when she was on the Board of Alderman. She was also an LA to Alderman Paul Bather before hand. In the case of Barbara Shanklin, there are two aides that work part time and split the cost of an LA salary…
In the case of Judy Green her aide began in 2007…In the case of Mary Woolridge her aide has worked for her the entire six years of merger…
so it is not acase of just throwing out a salary…there is some history to everyone’s salary if you take the time to find out
8 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I didn’t suggest that there wasn’t history. I suggested it was absurd for YOU to be paid less than Kenya McGruder.
Further, you need to chill the fuck out, Tony. I dare you to leave another threatening voicemail for me or for Rick. Cause I’ll publish them in a heartbeat.
9 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Threatening? I told Rick how disappointed I was that you decided to draw me into your “Brewing controversy” considering the fact that you have made no attempt to get any kind of a yes or no from Kenya..
And I doubt you have even tried to get an official response from the chair of the personnel committee….over what you have now been writing about for six days…
10 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Yes, threatening. You were speaking with a heightened, pissed-off tone that rivaled the guy in the faux birther video. I’ll record the voicemail and share it with readers.
And you insinuated to Rick that you’d be treating us differently because of our stories about the always-walking-on-eggshells David Tandy.
“Draw” you into? Let me explain something: Your salary is PUBLIC RECORD. It’s also available on places like the Courier-Journal’s website.
As a matter of fact, I HAVE made several efforts to reach Kenya. Via telephone, Facebook and email.
Further, as Rick can attest, as can other reporters covering this story, I’ve spoken with a ton of people who are Metro Council members.
You need to take a chill pill.
You’ve worked in media so you know what it’s all about. That is, until you were fired and then had to hop to another television station. But here’s a tip: Getting remotely threatening with people covering you is RIDICULOUS. And it motivates me to dig really, really deeply into Metro Council dealings. And then publicly accusing me of not doing my job – after I publicly defended you and suggested you be paid more than a political hack who does nothing all day? You must be smoking something awkward, man.
Not wise for someone in your position to make ridiculous comments on a website. But thanks for validating every single thing I’ve said. Guess I struck a very important nerve. (And here I was thinking I was irrelevant and that no one reads us…)
11 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Well if I am going to make a “supposed fool of myself” as you claim…lets back a few steps here…
First off Kenya was on vacation last week… you ran with the story anyway…
A few months ago when I made the effort to help you reach David Tandy on another story ( in which you made no secret you were not happy in dealing with Rob Haynes)… I told you then I could help… you said great…on this one though you chose to go through his LA… when I talked to the President last Friday, he was going to call you and talk to you about this….but wait a minute you didn’t want to talk to him you wanted a statement…. what was it? You didn’t have time did I read that right…
you want to play the voice mail go ahead…
and you know Jake, your right my salary is public record….never had a problem with anyone knowing it…
I read this website and the Ville voice because I happen to think bloggers have a voice in public policy… I have treated you like all medi aas evenly as I know how…
But then I was used a way to get back at some one you still have not talked to…
And I would think for someone who has been around poltics as you say you have you must know you will not please everyone….
as for my record as a reporter in town from 1990 to 2006, I have nothing to apologize for..
12 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:00 pm
LEO ran the story and we commented on it.
Kenya was at a fancy conference – not on vacation. She was responding to other people and ignored my requests, knowing fully well that I’d be writing something and that she had an opportunity to respond. And she was suspended, as Phillip Bailey reported. Nice spin.
You did not make an effort to help me reach David Tandy. You called freaking out because I suggested Tandy’s staff did a terrible job communicating. Then you ranted on and on about how that made you look badly. When, in reality, it merely made Rob Haynes look badly… which is why I didn’t mention his name publicly at the time, out of respect. I recorded the call with your consent, if you’d like me to dig it up?
Rob Haynes told me he’d have a statement to me in an hour. Then it dragged on and on, message and excuse after message and excuse. I got something from him six hours later. Six hours. And then he wanted David to spin me via telephone. Something that, as I said publicly, I wouldn’t waste my time for.
So I’d appreciate you not spinning out of control.
13 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Kenya was officially on vacation from Wednesday of last week and she was back in her office today…
If you have a tape of me “freaking and ranting on and on ” I suggest you go ahead and put that on here too…
Actually Phil Bailey has a much better understanding of this than you ..Kenya was officially suspended but not for the reasons you have cited…every member of the Caucus knows that…
14 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I said Kenya was in part suspended because of the myriad things we’ve reported.
Phillip Bailey said the same thing.
Imagine that.
And as soon as I can wake up tomorrow and record your voicemail from my iPhone, I probably will.
This comment thread is going to generate ALL KINDS of traffic for me tomorrow. Cannot wait.
HOO BOY!
15 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Sorry Phillip did not say that… you guys have been going on the baby sitting route and the campaining which not why she was suspended
Phillip initially said some say she was not doing her job others say she and I do not get any leadership …. there is a huge difference
and I am sure many people will get a thrill out of hearing me say how I did not appreciate being drawn into this… but if it makes you think you have done something stunning then go right ahead
16 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Actually, he did. And I communicated with him via email today when he said as much to me, again. Nice spin.
Again – being “drawn into this” – what the heck kind of crack are you smoking? You said you were afraid for your job last week – now I know why. Because you are the most paranoid individual at City Hall. More paranoid than Dougie Hawkins or Jon Ackerson. Jesus H.
Let me ‘splain it to you: You and Kenya are the two most prominent employees of the caucus. So I compared your salaries. Then compared them with several other staffers. When I discovered that miss do-nothing (she’s REALLY unpopular in the governor’s office and at the local Democratic Party HQ amongst volunteers) makes $14K more than you, I was outraged and said so on this here fandangled website thingy of mine.
If you’re so upset that we have opinions and think you should be, wait for it – paid more – and that we used something that was PUBLIC RECORD – you need to get into a different, non-governmental line of work as soon as humanly possible.
This is absolute insanity. Freaking out because I mentioned your name and accusing me of dragging you into something. Hahahahaha.
17 Tony Hyatt // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Jake…. let me be clear… I have been working for the Caucus since April of 2006… I work at the pleasure of the Caucus.. While I appreciate your wanting to see me paid more that is really nice…but I am doing just fine…
You are right Phillip Bailey said that but I think I read it as he was just repeating what you were reporting..if you have an email where he agrees with you to that effect I would suggest that you ask Phillip to publish it…
Let me splain something to you…the work that I do is much more obvious to the media…but whenyou compare my salary not only to Kenya’s but to other peoples, I now have to deal with the possibility of “where do you come off thinking you work harder than I do..” I didn’t ask for that… and beside you continued point is that in your opinion and I stress yours alone “Kenya is worthless” if the Governor’s office or the Democratic Party have problems its their problem…
I have worke dwith Kenya for three and half years…and th eperson you are describing and in some cases attacking is not the person I have been working with…
18 jake // Aug 5, 2009 at 11:41 pm
The only reason you’re going to have to deal with other people is because of these eight billion comments you’ve left on Page One, sweetie.
If people are pissy because they find out *I* think you work harder than them? Tough tit. They need to get over it. That’s not on you – it’s on them and their pettiness. And if you can’t deal with that, it’s your problem.
Who in their right mind thinks you asked me to write about pay disparity, really? WHO? Kenya McGruder? Ha.
Don’t spin my words – I said Kenya is unpopular in those offices. I added those two bits for extra impact.
I’m betting money – right now – that the majority of readers aren’t going to take your word for anything related to Metro Council. Not now and not anytime in the near future. Especially anything re: Kenya, who apparently doesn’t do her job. Or anything related to David Tandy, as you’ve tried like hell to spin people on any time he’s legitimately criticized.
GO TO SLEEP, jeez. It’s nearly midnight.
19 Cactus // Aug 6, 2009 at 10:16 am
I can vouch that Tony Hyatt is a hard working fell, even if he was apparently having a very rough night or some type of personal crisis that spilled out on Jake. I can also say from experience that my one time working with Judy Green’s LA was frustrating. She showed up in her Mercedes and seemed as if she was just there to be seen. Then, she never returned my phone calls when I needed to check some facts. I like Judy Green—good, good woman, but her LA reminded me of one of those TV news girls who is all fluff and heels and makeup and business cards and being seen, but no substance.
20 Greg Braun // Aug 6, 2009 at 10:26 am
Wow. I cant not believe the crap you have to go through Jake. Meanwhile the city is going through another weather crisis… its too funny. Keep up the good work !
21 jake // Aug 6, 2009 at 10:29 am
In all honesty, I really like Tony– that’s why I defended him in the face of criticism from folks on the Council (private criticism, that is).
I was honestly and truly outraged that a man like him would be paid less than some of those other folks. Just blown away, really.
Leave a Comment