Mike Haydon, Beshear’s chief of staff, dies
By Janet Patton
jpatton1@herald-leader.com
Mike Haydon, Gov. Steve Beshear’s chief of staff and former mayor of Springfield, died Sunday.
“He’s passed away,” said Springfield Mayor John Cecconi Sr. “He had a heart attack. … Springfield will miss Mike a lot. … Last time I talked to Mike, he was upbeat as he could be, probably at the African-American celebration last week. He showed no signs of illness.”
News of Haydon’s passing made waves across political lines in Frankfort and throughout the state Sunday.
“Terrible,” said House Minority Floor Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown. “He was a very good friend. He was just a good guy.
“In politics, you have friends, but occasionally you develop friendships across party lines that transcend politics. That’s how I considered Mike.”
Hoover said he learned of Haydon’s passing Sunday afternoon from Beshear’s office, who said Haydon died about noon.
Kerri Richardson, spokeswoman for Beshear, confirmed Haydon’s passing.
Filed Under: Jeff Hoover • State Government • Steve Beshear


Health experts believe that the prevention of heart disease, particularly arteriosclerotic heart disease, is possible. To be sure, some risk factors are uncontrollable, such as sex, age and genetics; but there are a number of dietary and lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk.