This development appeared on Kentucky Lantern this week:

Louisville Democratic Rep. Al Gentry is stepping down as chair of the Kentucky House minority caucus.

The Democratic Caucus elected Lexington Democratic Rep. Lindsey Burke as the new chair. She was previously the House Democratic whip, according to a press release. Her successor will be selected Friday. 

Gentry, who represents the 46th House District in Jefferson County, was selected as the caucus chair in late 2024. He has served in the House since 2017. 

Gentry said he plans to seek reelection and continue serving his current term in office. 

Gentry is leaving leadership to work on a new adaptive golf initiative, according to the news release. The sport allows people with disabilities to play golf through modified rules or equipment. In 1993, Gentry lost his dominant right arm in a workplace drilling accident while working as a hydrogeologist. 

It’s fine this guy is leaving, but if a Democrat in State House leadership is going to leave his post in less than a year, he shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place, and his focus isn’t on serving his district.

Now I know Kentucky state legislators aren’t paid as highly as legislators in other states. According to AI:

The average annual pay for a Kentucky state representative is based on a daily rate rather than a flat salary and depends on their term start date. Legislators elected before January 1, 2023, earn $188.22 per calendar day during session, while those elected after that date earn $203.28 per calendar day. This daily rate, combined with additional allowances and expense reimbursements, results in an average annual compensation of around $56,000 to $65,000, though this varies by the length of the session each year. 

But if you compare $56,000 to $65,000 to the average state annual income of $57,200, you are at least dealing with a legislator who understands how hard it is to get by day-to-day like his or her constituents do and would therefore be more interested in making sure bills are passed so people can afford to live decently.

But since the legislature is so cheap, you instead get people who have side gigs from corporations or groups that want certain laws passed that funnels more money to the rich and makes it harder for public services to be funded properly.

So go ahead and build your golf courses for the handicapped. But you should never have taken a leadership position if you never intended to serve the interests of your constituents (and you shouldn’t talk about seeking reelection).