Container Top
Homes   Jobs   Cars   Shopping
Search

Events Calendar

EVENT SEARCH:

In This Section


Most Read Stories


Blogs:


Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens

The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook

Patrick McManamon:
The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me

Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night

Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster

Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns

Kent State Sports:
Singletary update

Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws

Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad

Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today

All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster

Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers

Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional

See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic

Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED

Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!

Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.

Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall

HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron

Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go

Clueless on campus

A UA lesson in how not to win enough friends at the Statehouse

Scott Borgemenke has acquired a broad portfolio with his job at the University of Akron. In the newly created position of associate vice president of strategy and finance, the veteran Republican political operative will make $142,000 a year developing ''innovative solutions to challenging problems.'' While pondering all that, he will help lobby local, state and federal government officials.

The background fits, to a point. Borgemenke was chief of staff to former Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted. He was a top adviser to former Gov. Bob Taft and, most recently, chief strategist for the Ohio Republican Party. When working the Republican side of the aisle, he will travel familiar territory.

At the same time, it hardly takes a degree from the Ray. C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics to realize that such territory is shrinking. Democrats control city hall in Akron, Summit County government, the Ohio House, the governor's office and all other statewide executive offices save the position of auditor. Democrats control the White House and Congress. That leaves a pipeline to Ohio Senate President Bill Harris and U.S. Rep. John Boehner, the House minority leader, and U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (who is not running for re-election next year).

Ohio already has many university officials with six-figure salaries, not to mention the nation's highest paid university president, Gordon Gee at Ohio State, at more than $800,000 a year. A parents advocacy group recently counted more than 4,500 employees at state universities in Ohio paid $100,000 or more.

With a recent performance boost of $85,000, UA President Luis Proenza's total compensation now stands at $535,000. Besides a house and a car, he also has the services of a Deerfield, Ill., consulting firm to improve his executive and leadership skills, and those of other top managers. The cost of the annual consulting contract is $25,000.

The trouble is, such expenditures don't sit well with the public or, as Borgemenke knows, many Republican lawmakers looking to whack state support for public universities, just recovering from years of chronic underfunding at the Statehouse.

Revenue forecasts for the state remain grim. Surging salaries, executive coaches and new positions make maintaining broad support even tougher.

Scott Borgemenke has acquired a broad portfolio with his job at the University of Akron. In the newly created position of associate vice president of strategy and finance, the veteran Republican political operative will make $142,000 a year developing ''innovative solutions to challenging problems.'' While pondering all that, he will help lobby local, state and federal government officials.

Get the full article here.


Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Reprint  Reprint   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story

AddThis Social Bookmark Button


working joe
akron , oh

Posted 06:07 AM, 04/17/2009

i see , the democrats are in power so everyone should only hire democrats .
well is that why the county executives office hired mr. douglas wife for a no bid 130,000 dollar legal contract .
no editorial on that sweet heart deal .
















Most Commented Stories