Gov’s pay hike
could get axAfter giving themselves a pay raise
last year, Democrats draw criticism
for an attempt to scuttle salary hikes
for top state executives and judges
Gov. Linda Lingle's administration and Republican legislative leaders are blaming "petty politics" for a quiet move in the Democrat-controlled Legislature to kill pay raises for Lingle and her Cabinet.
House Speaker Calvin Say and Senate President Robert Bunda introduced resolutions to reject pay raises for the executive branch and the state Judiciary (HCR 190 and SCR 118) last Wednesday, the deadline for introducing substantive resolutions.
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"The executive compensation for the executive and the Judiciary is woefully inadequate," said Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Lanikai-Waimanalo).
"This has been one of the most partisan sessions in my career here," Hemmings said. "(Democrats) are trying to thwart the governor's initiatives. The impact will be less than a million dollars. It is extremely petty politics."
The pay raises were recommended in February by salary commissions appointed by the Legislature and the courts. The raises range from 18 percent for the governor in 2006 to 5.5 percent for some Cabinet officers and then 2 percent annually for eight years. The judicial pay raises would raise the chief justice's salary in 2006 by 14 percent, $140,000 and then 3.5 percent for eight years.
While the last executive pay raises were granted in 1990, the Legislature gave itself a pay raise last year that will bring lawmaker's salary from $32,000 to $40,000, a 25 percent pay raise, by 2012.
Democrats denied they were playing politics with the Lingle administration.
"It's no shot at no one," said Calvin Say, House speaker.
Senate President Robert Bunda said the governor's pay raises were overridden by the need to give the state public employees a pay raise.
"We want the commission to come back to us because of the state's financial condition, and we need to make room for the raises in collective bargaining, and it is causing us some hard times," Bunda said.
While the public employee pay raises are likely to cost the state tens of millions of dollars in the next year, Republicans said the executive pay raises are only worth about $500,000 in extra funds.
House GOP leader, Rep. Galen Fox (R-Waikiki-Ala Moana) had not heard about the move to kill the pay raises.
"I think this is cheap politics. I have been around long enough to know that people like Speaker Say and President Bunda would have had no problem ... no question that if the same thing were happening under a Democratic governor, no such resolution would be introduced.
"This is cheap politics, pure and simple," Fox said.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Say (D, St. Louis Heights-Wilhelmina Rise) said, responding to charges of political motivation for the salary rejection.
Lingle's chief of staff, Bob Awana, was also critical of the Democrats' move.
"I would be very disappointed. Speaking for my colleagues in the Cabinet, it is sad that regardless of whoever is in the position they work 14 years without any increase in compensation. It is very unfortunate," Awana said.
Bunda and Say said they hope that both the executive salary commission and the judicial salary commission would meet next year to make another set of recommendations.
The Judiciary had pay raises in 2000 of 11 percent.
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Curtailing raises
Proposed raises for lawmakers, executive branch, and judges.
Legislative salary increase:
Present salary: $32,000
Salary by 2012: $40,000
Status: Approved (lawmakers took no action, which automatically put the raises into effect).
Executive salary increase:
Present salary:
>> Governor: $94,780
>> Department directors: $85,302
>> Deputy department directors: $72,866-$77,966
Proposed salary by 2012:
>> Governor: $126,130
>> Department directors: $120,612-$103,381
>> Deputy: $105,679-$89,942.
Status: House and Senate have introduced resolutions to reject the raises.
Judiciary:
Present Salary:
>> Chief Justice: $116,779
>> Circuit: $106,922
>> District: $100,761
Proposed salary by 2012:
>> Chief Justice: $172,097
>> Circuit: $149,478
>> District: $140,873.
Status: House and Senate have introduced resolutions to reject the raises.
