If you read comments on political stories at your local newspaper’s website, it doesn’t take long to recognize the same handful of right vs. left arguments popping up in every thread. Though paying much attention to these things would be ill-advised, one anti-Kasich talking point piqued my interest such that I submitted a public records request to the governor’s office.
It’s a simple criticism: Kasich pays his buddies too much at our expense! I’ve run across a few variations on this theme, most involving witty misspellings of the governor’s name. Given Ohio’s economy, Governor Kasich paying his staff more than Governor Strickland did would be fiscally imprudent and politically careless. Heck, I first ventured down the public union rabbit hole after learning that the unions’ anointed Secretary of State candidate was grossly overcompensating her administrative staff… so this complaint would resonate even with an awful conservative like me!
Governor Strickland
- Staff: 79
- Salary: $5,009,431
- Salary w/benefits: $6,662,542
Governor Kasich (Current)
- Staff: 67
- Salary: $4,301,087
- Salary w/benefits: $5,840,146
Governor Kasich (Planned)
- Staff: 75 → 4 fewer than Strickland
- Salary: $4,838,121 → $171,310 less than Strickland
- Salary w/benefits: $6,434,701 → $227,841 less than Strickland
Cross-posted at that hero.
