(UPDATE: It's actually $450K the school PR gets - not $360K. (I'm sure this is one correction the school people didn't want me to make. Heh.)
Central office staffing is a big issue with some county officials. It gets brought up about this time each year. Some say the office - at about 210 folks - is overstaffed. Others say it's lean and mean.
I don't know. It's probably somewhere in between.
What I do know, however, is that I like to pick on the city because it spends more than $250,000 in folding paper on PR. But, check out public affairs in the school system's central office: $450K in coin. And that's not including benefits.
Yeah, yeah, I know: They do more than just public relations.
And Michael “Big Sexy” Grider over in county Mayor Tim Burchett's office (where the entire PR budget is about $55,000) does more than make sure that the mayor's Superman cape doesn't get caught in the doorway.
Heh.
Anyhoo, click right smack here for the salaries for the folks who are considered “central office staffing” for the Knox County school systems.
And note that the head of PR earns more than the chief of staff of security.
Course, fair is fair. The city's top PR spin doc earns like $20K more than the school system's.
Poor Grider,
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't even get an intern! But that is because Mayor B is so cheap he would probably charge the intern to work in the Mayor's office so he could save the taxpayers money!
In all do seriousness, I am worried about the Grider position. I mean sure we bust on Grider, but it is because we as a journalistic community respect him! He is the best of the best and Mayor B already lost Troyer to poaching by other municipalities.
Grider does the job of three people. LITERALLY! He is top flight and I can see him getting picked up by an Alcoa like Troyer.
Grider is so good he actually got a Mayor's office job and wasn't even in the Mayor's Fraternity (yes he is that awesome)! He didn't even attend any of the fraternity keg parties back in college (he was to busy studying)
Grider has a job experience like no other. I mean seriously, watch the TV news. Do you ever see the Mayor of Loudon, Blount, and other surrounding communities on the news...NO! Grider is putting out a fires daily.
Mayor B has already made one costly error by allowing a great office worker to be poached...lets hope in this new budget he doesn't create the same mistake.
Seriously,
Daniel A.
If the above comment alleges that Mayor Burchett drank alcohol at fraternity keg parties in college. The poster doesn't know the tea totaler that is Tim Burchett.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see Grider getting some props. I remember when people like Betty Bean and a certain photo journalist were upset they didn't get the job.