As he enters the heart of the general election campaign for governor, Republican Senate President Ty Masterson said Thursday evening he would take a leave of absence from GoCreate, a creative community workspace at Wichita State University that was funded by Koch Industries and the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation.
Masterson’s work at Wichita State dogged him during the primary campaign when he was criticized by Johnson County businessman Philip Sarnecki.
Now, Democratic nominee, state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park, has been using it against Masterson on social media in the general election.
“Consistent with his longstanding practice during legislative sessions, Ty Masterson is taking a leave from GoCreate effective Aug. 17, allowing time to transition his responsibilities to other members of his team while he focuses on the general election,” said Masterson spokesperson, Garrett Henson.
“Ty will formally conclude his decade plus of service to GoCreate upon taking office.”
Masterson has been facing questions about his work at GoCreate throughout the campaign, with reports that he has earned more than $1 million from his work there since 2017.
Former Republican state Sen. Mark Steffen, an ally of Sarnecki’s in the primary campaign, filed an ethics complaint against Masterson that was later set aside.
The complaint alleged that Masterson violated a state law that prohibits public employees from using taxpayer-funded time to campaign for office.
The day before the primary election, the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission issued an order dismissing the complaint. The order didn’t offer any explanation other than to say that it was dismissed.
The ethics commission generally does not make complaints or their dismissal public under state law. The agency only makes complaints public at a point when someone is accused of violating the law.
The GoCreate issue surfaced in the Legislature last session when Democratic state Sen. Patrick Schmidt of Topeka tried to amend the state budget to defund Masterson’s job at Wichita State. The amendment was voted down 1-37.
Masterson said on the Senate floor that he had been in that job for 10 years. He said he didn’t get paid when he goes to the Legislature every year. He said he also doesn’t get benefits. He added that the program was not financed with state funds.
“No matter what you do there, you’re not saving the state coffers a dime,” he said.
Masterson used the opportunity to sell the benefits of the program.
“I’m super proud of it,” he said. “When we’re out of session and I’m back at work there, I’d love for you to come tour it. We’re taking nontraditional kids, kids that don’t see themselves at a university, and bringing the creativity out of them.”
The issue resurfaced during the Republican primary when Sarnecki called it a “no-show job” and put Masterson’s face on a milk carton and labeled him “missing.”
Now, Holscher has been using it against Masterson, most recently in a social media post on Wednesday.
“Ty Masterson gets $217K from a job he doesn’t show up to, courtesy of billionaire donors (the Kochs). Six figures, zero hours! Must be nice,” Holscher posted on the social media platform, X.
“That’s on top of the $85K from taxpayers for a part-time legislative position,” she posted. “Who is Masterson working for? Not regular Kansans,” she said in a post highlighting a newspaper story about his job.
Asked about Masterson’s announcement on Thursday night, Holscher said in a statement, “How do you go on leave of absence from a job you never show up for?”
Masterson has said previously that his work at GoCreate is administrative in nature and he’s not required to be on site. He said he’s sometime on site two or three days a week and others he’s not.
Wichita State University told The Kansas City Star that Masterson’s salary was not funded by the WSU Foundation or a single source of funding.
The school told the newspaper that GoCreate has received funding from various sources, including grants, philanthropic donations, university and affiliate funding, and revenue produced by GoCreate.
WSU told the newspaper that it employs Masterson and covers his salary. Funding comes from GoCreate’s budget and account, the newspaper reported.
