Belleville mayor’s public relations director leaving for job in restaurant marketing
Kathy Kaiser is leaving her job with the city of Belleville with “regret and excitement” after serving more than two years as director of PR and communications for Mayor Patty Gregory.
Kaiser will become a regional marketing manager for Compass Group, an international food-service company. She will work with restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, New York City and St. Louis.
“It was an opportunity that I wasn’t expecting that kind of dropped in my lap,” she said Monday.
Kaiser is known for accompanying Gregory to most public meetings and special events and snapping photos for the city’s website and Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) pages.
Kaiser said she’s most proud of helping to develop a comprehensive city marketing plan that seeks to promote Belleville not only for economic development, but also tourism and other purposes.
Kaiser submitted her resignation to Gregory on Thursday. Her last day will be Nov. 25.
“It was difficult for both of us,” Kaiser said, noting she and Gregory have been friends for a long time. “But I explained to her ... This is an appointed position, so at any time, I may or may not have a job, and I’m at a point in my career where I really need more security.”
Gregory emailed the following statement:
“Of course, I was saddened when Kathy announced that she would be leaving her position at the City of Belleville. Her expertise and professionalism have helped us to move the City of Belleville forward for the last two and a half years, and we wish her only continued success.“
Kaiser helped with Gregory’s campaign leading up to the April 2021 election, when Gregory defeated the late Mark Eckert, who had served as mayor for more than 16 years. He died this summer.
Gregory created a public relations, communications and marketing department and appointed Kaiser as director in May 2021 with a starting salary of $52,000. It’s now $66,950, according to Finance Director Jamie Maitret.
Kaiser has been training Madison Faulkner, the city’s website coordinator, to take over some of her responsibilities.
“I’m going to teach her everything I know in the next month,” Kaiser said. “I don’t want to leave the city hanging by any means. But I don’t know that the final decision has been made on who’s going to be eventually taking my place.”
Kaiser said she still handles public relations for a couple of local clients through her private business, Kaiser Communication & Marketing Group, that were approved by the city.
Kaiser also writes film reviews and covers theater news on a website called Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser and talks about movies every Thursday afternoon on the show “Studio STL” on Fox2 Now Channel 2.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
