Tourism chief Rex Johnson, newly appointed president and chief executive of the state Hawaii Tourism Authority, will have a straight salary of $240,000 for the next year, said the authority's chairman, Mike McCartney.
to get $240,000
Rex Johnson's contract is
scheduled for review tomorrowBy Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.comJohnson's three-year contract will be reviewed by the authority's board tomorrow. The contract calls for an annual review of his performance. If Johnson is terminated after the first year he will collect a payment of 6 months' salary, McCartney said. After the first year, Johnson can renegotiate his contract.
Johnson's salary makes him one of the top-paid employees working in state government. Evan Dobelle, president of the University of Hawaii, has an annual salary of $442,000. Peter Englert, UH-Manoa chancellor, is paid $254,000 a year. Pat Hamamoto, superintendent of schools, receives $150,000. Gov. Ben Cayetano earns about $95,000.
Robert Fishman, a long-time public employee who served as the authority's first executive director, was hired on a $180,000-a-year contract in 1999. Unlike Johnson, Fishman was as an independent contractor and paid for his own various expenses. Fishman's three-year contract was cut short when he was called up to active military duty after Sept. 11.
Johnson's salary was capped at $295,000 by this year's Legislature. McCartney said the cap did not hinder the process of searching for a quality candidate.
"I can tell you that the search was very extensive and there were a lot of people in town that make quite a bit more than what the cap is," McCartney said. "On the other hand, I always felt this job never was about the money; it was about doing a public service and I think Rex fits it."
"It's taxpayer money and it's right about where we need to be," McCartney added.
Johnson has previously served as state transportation director, head of the state Hawaii Community Development Authority and executive director of the nonprofit Nature Conservancy. He most recently was responsible for the planning, design and development of the new UH medical school to be built in Kakaako.
Hawaii Tourism Authority
