Highest/lowest paid AGs
Rep. Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville) recently filed an ISP seeking a study on the possibility of amending Amendment 70 regarding the salaries of our constitutional officers. We've previously looked at the salaries and residences of governors, and I've posted a list in the comments section of this post of the salaries of attorneys general across the country. Are you for or against the legislature setting the salaries of the constitutional officers outside of the Consumer Price Index, or do you think it should be set by the Ark. Constitution?
posted by Steve Harrelson @ 7/15/2008 12:48:00 PM | Permalink |
6 Comments:
Attorneys General Salaries
1. California Jerry Brown $184,301
2. Alabama Troy King $163,744
3. New York Andrew Cuomo $155,500
4. Tennessee Robert Cooper Jr. $154,800
5. Washington Rob McKenna $151,718
6. Illinois Lisa Madigan $150,810
7. Virginia Bob McDonnell $150,000
7. Texas Greg Abbott $150,000
8. Pennsylvania Tom Corbett $141,565
9. New Jersey Anne Milgram $141,000
10. Delaware Joseph "Beau" Biden III $140,950
11. Georgia Thurbert Baker $137,791
12. Wyoming Bruce Salzburg $137,150
13. Massachusetts Martha Coakley $133,644
14. Wisconsin J.B. Van Hollen $133,033
15. Nevada Catherine Cortez Masto $133,000
16. Florida Bill McCollum $131,604
17. Oklahoma W.A. Drew Edmondson $126,500
18. Maryland Douglas Gansler $125,000
19. Michigan Mike Cox $124,900
20. Iowa Tom Miller $123,669
21. Alaska Talis Colberg $122,640
22. Hawaii Mark Bennett $120,444
23. North Carolina Roy Cooper $119,901
24. Louisiana James "Buddy" Caldwell $115,000
25. Minnesota Lori Swanson $114,288
26. Vermont William Sorrell $113,900
27. Missouri Jay Nixon $113,046
28. New Hampshire Kelly Ayotte $110,113
29. Connecticut Richard Blumenthal $110,000
30. Ohio Nancy Rogers $109,986
31. Mississippi Jim Hood $108,960
32. Rhode Island Patrick Lynch $105,416
33. Utah Mark Shurtleff $101,939
34. Kentucky Jack Conway $101,596
35. Kansas Stephen Six $98,901
36. Idaho Lawrence Wasden $95,160
37. South Dakota Larry Long $95,076
38. New Mexico Gary King $95,000
39. Nebraska Jon Bruning $95,000
39. South Carolina Henry McMaster $92,007
40. Maine Steven Rowe $90,438
41. Arizona Terry Goddard $90,000
42. Montana Mike McGrath $89,602
43. North Dakota Wayne Stenehjem $87,351
44. Indiana Steve Carter $82,000
45. Colorado John Suthers $80,004
46. West Virginia Darrell McGraw $80,000
47. Oregon Hardy Myers $77,196
48. Arkansas Dustin McDaniel $70,000
$70,000 is more than an AG who waits until the last day (twice) to tell petition sponsors they have to re-word their petition is worth. Still, maybe higher salaries will attract a high caliber of candidate for public office (owner of this blog excepted of course).
The federal government's inflation numbers are lies, and everyone with any sense knows it. Adjusting to what the feds claim inflation is will reduce the real buying power of salaries over time. An adjustment is needed that does not rely on the Federal Government being honest.
Mr. Speaker, there is a way to raise officeholder pay without increasing resentment on the political class. State GDP is already calculated yearly, and state spending and borrowing are known. Compare them and you have a ration of our earnings to government consumption.
I propose that every bi-annual budget where the GSDP to state spending and borrowing gets bigger, then elected officials get a 10% raise over and above the cost of living adjustment. This would continue until the wages of Arkansas officials were equal to 90% of the average of those of comparable officials in the states surrounding us.
Should the GSDP to government spending and borrowing ratio decrease, then you don't even get the cost of living adjustment, much less the 10%.
I'd like to amend my motion to use the total income of all income tax returns filed in the state instead of GSDP to make the calculations as it is a more objective measure.
I can see both sides of the argument since truly, one doesn't run for a constitutional office because of the money. On the other hand, there's a fundamental problem when the elected AG -- the person in the office held accountable to the people -- isn't even the highest paid person in his own office. Each of the 120+ circuit judges in the state makes almost twice the attorney general, as do even a few district judges.
But what about tying pay increases to performance? That is, tying their raises to when our earnings grow faster than government spending.
I even have a motto for you, "Performance pay, its not just for public school teachers".
Mark, while you make an interesting arguement in regards to pay, your opening wisecrack demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the particular office in discussion.
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