COAST blasts Freedom Center's executive compensation Top three executives paid more than $800,000 annually

COAST recently obtained the IRS non-profit 990 tax returns for the National Underground Freedom Center. Combined with the recent announcement of a new CEO for the Freedom Center, they show a reckless willingness to waste taxpayer dollars with its top three executives making a combined $800,000, including more than $320,000 in compensation to its President, Spencer Crew, and $270,000 in salary to its new CEO Donald Murphy. This is the same Freedom Center that has been promising to trim its budget and demanding a perpetual taxpayer subsidy of $3 million annually.

"When a renegade agency is out of control, typically the first place it appears is in bloated executive compensation," said COAST Chairman Jim Urling. "Spending at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is spiraling out of control as evidenced by the bloated executive compensation. It has an unbelievably haughty attitude of demanding perpetual taxpayer handouts while shamelessly wasting tax dollars in this fashion."

The disclosed salary and benefits of the top three Freedom Center executives follow:

Spencer Crew, President: $320,000.00
Donald Murphy, CEO $270,000.00
Love Collins, Vice President of Advancement $210,000.00

By comparison, the 2007 salary of Governor Strickland is only $144,000 and Mayor Mallory is $111,000.