Forget the swag, look at the hiring

Dayton Daily News has the story of Ohio Tresurer Kevin Boyce spending thousands of dollars on trinkets with his name on them:

As Ohio’s budget swells with red ink, state Treasurer Kevin Boyce spent $32,469 in taxpayer money on promotional items such as water bottles, grocery bags and pencils and plans to buy another $47,457 in swag plastered with his name.

Boyce defended the purchases as routine and said his marketing budget is about 30 percent less than what fellow Democrat Richard Cordray spent when he was state treasurer.

But state Rep. Josh Mandel, R-Lyndhurst, who is running against Boyce, said, “While families and small businesses are tightening their belts, it seems outrageous that the treasurer is using the hard earned dollars of Ohio families to promote himself.”

But this section caught my eye:

A Dayton Daily News examination found Boyce has hired a number of friends and close associates to key positions in his office, and also contracted with two Columbus-area companies for a web site makeover and hired a 23-year-old whose business card said she is in charge of social media networking for the treasurer.

Boyce said he decided to contract out the $65,000 in web work to save money. Under Cordray, two staffers and contractors who handled web site development totaled $289,880 a year, he said.

Boyce also hired 30 people to handle his public affairs, regional outreach and community education efforts. (Cordray had 33 employees in those same slots.) The staffer with the social media networking on her business card made up the title, he said, and no one on staff is setting up Facebook pages or Twittering for his office.

[...]

Shortly after his appointment to the treasurer’s post in January, Boyce assembled a team of top aides pulled from Ohio Democratic Party, Columbus City Hall and politically connected families.

He hired Liam Shanahan — son of Strickland’s energy advisor Mark Shanahan and budget director Pari Sabety — into a $45,011-a-year job. Shanahan, 24, who previously worked at a zoo and water park, drives Boyce places and acts as an administrative assistant.

Boyce hired Jessica Ford, 22, daughter of former Toledo mayor Jack Ford, to run his Toledo community affairs office at an annual salary of $45,011. Early in his career, Boyce served as Jack Ford’s legislative aide in the Ohio House.

Elizabeth Luken, the sister of former Cincinnati mayor Charlie Luken, landed a $45,011-a-year job running Boyce’s Cincinnati community affairs office.

Now, I don’t think there is anything illegal or funny about any of these hires.  But it is an illustration of how the system works.  Well connected people get government jobs with good pay and benefits.

And those aren’t even the high paying jobs.

Boyce also drew from the staff list at the Ohio Democratic Party too. His chief of staff, Mike Culp, 37, who is paid $100,006 a year, is a former reporter turned political operative who directed the state party. Culp did not know how many people work in Boyce’s office.

And Boyce hired a former Ohio Democratic Party fund-raiser Lakshmi Satyanarayana, 23, as an administrative assistant to Culp and Deputy Treasurer Amer Ahmad. She is paid $35,006 a year.

Boyce also hired two friends from high school, a man who goes to his church, and several people from Columbus city hall.

Newton Burris, 36, who is paid $105,019 a year as the treasurer’s economic development director, played football with Boyce at Columbus East High School. Boyce’s scheduler and administrative assistant, Angela Burks, 36, who is paid $67,000, is another friend from high school. Boyce and Burks also knew one another at Columbus City Hall where Burks worked for the mayor while Boyce was a city councilman.

Derek Anderson, 32, who makes $100,006 a year as human resources director, attends St. Paul AME Church with Boyce.

Smart politics or patronage? Maybe both.