Birmingham News Digging into Troy King Staff

by: PubliusIX

Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 13:00:59 PM CDT

There is an interesting item in The Birmingham News this morning about the high salaries paid to staff – many of whom have little or no experience – by Attorney General Troy King.  Included is the following observation:

Not receiving raises has not been a problem for another King employee — 24-year-old John W. Godwin. Godwin started working in the attorney general’s office as an unpaid intern last summer, when he was a senior at Troy University. Shortly after arriv­ing in King’s office, Godwin was put on the payroll at $10 an hour. Over the next nine months, Godwin rapidly ascended the ladder. In July 2007, King appointed him as a special administrative assistant earning $39,456 a year. He completed his degree in broadcast journalism in December, and on March 27 was named to his current title of executive assistant, a job paying $57,504 annually, according to state records. “J.W. is an exceptional young man who is the chief aide to the attorney general and who is almost indispensable in terms of the many functions he carries out in this office,” Bence said. Bence said Godwin’s duties include policy research and constituent relations, and he serves as a liaison between the attorney general and the staff. Godwin travels with King as part of his duties, such as accompanying him to this year’s National Association of Attorneys General Conference.

You know, I miss the old days of parsing through the Pravda photographs of Soviet leaders atop Lenin’s Tomb, trying to figure out whose star was falling from his relegation to the back row.