Scott Powers
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson‘s congressional office communications director Ken Scudder is leaving to take a post with the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
Scudder, who joined Grayson’s team about a year ago after having worked for U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, said he is leaving the Orlando Democrat’s staff because the JEC post is a “terrific career opportunity.”
The Joint Economic Committee is a bicameral panel that is a counterpoint to the president’s Council of Economic Advisors. Scudder said he looks forward to being able to communicate the economic principals, policies and debates the committee addresses.
“It’s a committee doing great work,” he said.
Scudder, 48, has been Grayson’s spokesman in dealing with many of the controversies that have emerged as he makes a bid for the Democratic nomination to run for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat. For much of the past few months Scudder has been responding to weekly and sometimes daily questions and allegations, many raised by Grayson’s Democratic opponent U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy and his supporters, about Grayson’s personal finances and management of hedge funds. He’s also been busy cranking out communications about Grayson’s prolific congressional work.
Scudder said he will miss it.
“It’s been fantastic working here,” he said of his year with Grayson. “I”m going to miss it.”
His departure thins Grayson’s already thin communication team in both of his offices. When his campaign communication director left in December, Grayson’s congressional press secretary Dave Damron moved to the campaign to fill that role, leaving Scudder to deal with what had been two jobs in the congressional office.
