New chief of Kentucky legislative staff brings reform

FRANKFORT, Ky. — In one respect, the job of directing the Legislative Research Commission’s 400-member staff is like that of a baseball umpire: If no one notices you, you’re probably doing OK.

“I’m happy to be boring, I’m happy to not be very visible in this role," said David Byerman, who recently completed his first year as director. "My job as director of LRC is to make sure the trains run on time."

Legislative leaders hired Byerman in the fall of 2015 after two years that saw the agency squirm in the public spotlight after two women on the staff publicly accused former state Rep. John Arnold of sexual harassment. Arnold resigned, and fallout over the controversy also caused Bobby Sherman, who directed the agency since 1999, to abruptly retire.

A subsequent audit by the National Conference of State Legislatures found a serious morale problem with the legislative staff — a problem it attributed to old-fashioned, informal personnel and pay policies that vested too much power with the director and stirred feelings of favoritism among staff.

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-general-assembly/2016/12/19/new-chief-kentucky-legislative-staff-brings-reform/95370944/