Monday, August 23, 2010

Fleming Finds a Home

It’s nice to have friends in high places, eh?

The Barrett administration is paying Jeff Fleming - former TV reporter, political commentator and flack for ex-Mayor John Norquist - $37 per hour to be the part-time spokesman for the Department of City Development.

Under the arrangement, he puts in 24 hours a week and is getting about $46,000 a year from the city. He is also receiving city-funded health insurance while continuing to do outside consulting work.

Fleming was brought on board in the midst of the Democratic mayor’s campaign for governor. A top Barrett aide maintained last week that the PR specialist is focusing his efforts on city business, not politics.

“We wanted someone with previous press experience and marketing experience,” said Barrett chief of staff Pat Curley. “We knew Jeff, and we were comfortable with him.”

So comfortable, in fact, that Fleming occasionally acts as spokesman for the mayor, even accompanying him to an event or two.

“Which isn’t unusual,” Curley said. “We call on people all the time to help out, to pinch hit. Jeff has certainly got a much higher profile.”

It was just about a year ago that Fleming - formerly a panelist on talk show host Charlie Sykes’ weeklyTV gabfest and Sykes’ liberal counterpart on the Channel 4 news - began appearing publicly for Barrett.

(4) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0756 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. $37 per hour to be the part-time spokesman for the Department of City Development. $46,000 a year!

    Not too bad a gig. It really pays to be a professional BS sandwich maker.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 23, 2010 at 0920 hrs


  2. I’m only surprised that Bice didn’t sit on that until after November.  Heck, Belling had that a couple months ago.

    Posted by steveegg on August 23, 2010 at 1826 hrs


  3. I wonder if he still gets to say “For Heavens Sake” all the time.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 23, 2010 at 2116 hrs


  4. Thanks for your good sharing! It is so informative and useful!

    Posted by christian louboutin on September 19, 2010 at 0332 hrs


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