Head of Kentucky legislative agency 'surprised' by ouster

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The director of the Kentucky legislature’s nonpartisan research agency said Tuesday he is being forced out after three years, part of a move by elected leaders to go in a “different direction.”

David Byerman was chosen in 2015 to run the Legislative Research Commission, two years after longtime director Bobby Sherman resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

But in a statement issued Tuesday morning, Byerman said Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Pro Tem David Osborne recently told him his contract won’t be renewed. The decision “surprised me and will no doubt surprise many among the staff and in the community,” he said.

Byerman claimed Stivers and Osborne indicated they want to take the director’s office in a “different direction.” He did not elaborate.

“David Byerman came here on a two year contract, which we extended one year," the Republican legislators said in a joint statement issued Tuesday afternoon. "It has always been our policy not to publicly discuss personnel decisions. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

The Kentucky Democratic Party, however, labeled the decision as an effort to infuse politics into the commission that is responsible for posting bills online, staffing committees, analyzing legislation and providing other nonpartisan aid to lawmakers.

“The firing of David Byerman is an obvious move to fully politicize the Legislative Research Commission,” Ben Self, chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said in a statement.

House Democratic Floor Leader Rocky Adkins said lawmakers and legislative staff owe Byerman for his contributions during a "transition period" for the agency, but he also questioned the politics behind the move.

"I am concerned that dismissing the director of this nonpartisan agency without consulting leadership in the minority sets a dangerous precedent, but I remain hopeful that whoever is ultimately chosen to serve in this important position maintains the strong nonpartisanship structure that has been a hallmark of LRC for decades," Adkins said. "I believe all legislative leaders, not just those in the majority party, should have a hand in selecting the next LRC director.”

State Rep. Jason Nemes, a Republican from Louisville, said on Twitter that regardless of the changes, the research agency "must remain nonpartisan.

"The staff at the LRC is exceptionally professional and effective. I trust them. No matter who controls the legislature, LRC staff must serve all 138 members with equal vigor and trust," Nemes said.

When Byerman’s tenure ends September 30, he will be replaced on an acting basis by Senate and House chiefs of staff Becky Harilson and David Floyd, according to his statement. Floyd is a former GOP state House member who represented Bardstown from 2005 until 2016.

Self said previous decisions to appoint chiefs of staff into interim director roles “were bipartisan and upon retirement of the Director. This decision to fire the Director and replace him with partisan staff right before an election calls into question the independent, non-partisan reputation of the Commission and should be reversed immediately.”

In his statement, Byerman said the LRC has improved employee morale as a result of personnel reform; improved communication at the agency; and turned the commission’s culture “into one where its employees are heard, protected, and recognized.”