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By ROBERT T. GARRETT
The Dallas Morning News
June 7, 2007
Officials beg off big raises
AUSTIN – Most Texans, if offered a five-figure pay raise, would first call their spouse, then maybe an interior decorator or a boat dealer.
Statewide officeholders are just as likely to call a political consultant.
Because it's a touchy matter to accept generous raises from other politicians, especially when most public employees are looking at skimpy increases, at least three statewide elected officials say they will turn down big increases that lawmakers offered them in the newly passed state budget.
Gov. Rick Perry and Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams will decline increases that could inflate their income by up to $45,000, saying they either don't need the extra money or just don't want it.
"We're not going to take it" was the simple response from Ms. Jones' chief of staff.
"Doesn't need it," said Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor, who could have accepted an increase from $115,345 to $150,000. "He's fine with his current salary. Always has been."
The Legislature wrote raises into the budget for eight top statewide officials – the governor, the comptroller, the attorney general, the land commissioner, the agriculture commissioner and three railroad commissioners. The budget is awaiting Mr. Perry's signature.
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson says he'll take his raise from $125,000 to $137,500, and he ridicules officials who turn down raises as either rich or wimps.
"They're worried about looking good," Mr. Patterson said.
Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs will take raises of $25,000 each (raising their pay from $125,000 to $150,000), while Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples says he will take the $12,500 more that was offered (bringing his salary to $137,500).
Questioning priorities
Taking the raise carries political risks. Although top state officials still earn far less than their counterparts in private enterprise – and many lower-ranking state employees – those taking the raise could draw negative reviews from teachers and employee groups that got very modest raises in the budget.
"If these are the good times, we're not sure what the bad times look like," said Richard Kouri of the Texas State Teachers Association. He complained that lawmakers started the session with a projected $14.3 billion surplus but weren't able to boost teacher pay significantly – giving school districts just enough for a one-time across-the-board raise of about $430 this fall.
That's not even 1 percent, given that the average Texas teacher made about $45,000 in the school year that just ended. Lawmakers also funded merit pay increases that will be up to each school district to decide.
"You just have to wonder what the priorities are," Mr. Kouri said.
Many state employees – those making less than $30,000 a year – will get a so-called "minimum raise" of $600 a year in each of the next two years, said Mike Gross, vice president of the Texas State Employees Union.
"As far as some of the officials getting bigger raises, we don't begrudge them that," Mr. Gross said.
But he said it's "demoralizing" that the big raises will go only to a few, when pay would still be too low to attract "top quality" juvenile correctional officers and attendants at state institutions for the mentally ill and the mentally retarded.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, defended giving big raises to statewide elected officials.
"I would like to have given more to state employees than we did," said Mr. Ogden, the Senate's chief budget writer.
Under the budget, state employees would get 2 percent raises in each of the next two years, with a $50-a-month minimum each year.
Mr. Ogden said top leaders' pay and state employees' pay "are separate issues."
Higher pay is needed to attract good candidates for public office, he said, because the statewide elected officials help oversee huge organizations. For years, salaries offered to all except the governor were below $95,000 – almost an insult, Mr. Ogden said.
"You invite all kinds of problems," he said. He mentioned how some legislators, who make only $7,200 a year, "live out of their campaign accounts."
"You're paying basketball coaches $2 million a year. There needs to be some perspective here and some recognition that the governor of Texas has a lot of responsibility. And a salary of $150,000 is pretty modest."
Indeed, according to a recent survey by the Council of State Governments, the Texas governor's current salary is only about half that budgeted for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (who gets $206,500). The movie star turned governor gives his salary back to the state.
A Perry spokesman said that while the governor "appreciates the gesture" of a raise, he won't accept any of the extra $35,000 being offered.
"He hasn't taken a pay raise and doesn't think it's necessary," said Mr. Black.
Mr. Black noted that the governor, who makes about $115,000, had his office written out of raises given to statewide officials in 2005. This year, Mr. Perry persuaded the Senate to insert language letting him reject all or part of the proposed raise.
Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams also says thanks, but no thanks.
"When I went to the voters back in 2000 and in 2002, we made a contract: I'd work real hard, and they would pay me $92,217. I'm happy with the deal," said Mr. Williams, who is up for re-election next year.
Mr. Williams also declined a raise two years ago. Ms. Jones accepted only part of the raise offered her in 2005.
Officials accepting the raises offered different reasons.
Mr. Patterson, who has complained of Austin's high cost of living and noted that state constitutional officers must live in Travis County, said the Land Office brings in about $500 million, mostly through management and leases of state land.
"I suggested to them that they give me one-tenth of 1 percent of our profit at the agency, about $500,000," he said.
Though he supports a "greater teacher raise," he said he has "no qualms" of taking the money.
Mr. Abbott noted that he runs what amounts to an 800-attorney law firm.
Ms. Combs says that though all state employees deserve more than the raises they got, she won't reject hers, which is 20 percent.
"She's starting out new as the new comptroller for a four-year term, and her responsibilities as comptroller have grown," said spokesman Allen Spelce, referring to Ms. Combs' new role as chief state procurement officer.
Stuck with low salary
Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, proposed a constitutional amendment to make the lieutenant governor's salary equal to the average of the salaries of the attorney general, comptroller and land commissioner, but his bill died. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's salary will stay at $7,200, as set in the state Constitution.
One statewide elected official who was offered a raise, Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo, is undecided. A spokeswoman said Mr. Carrillo won't decide whether to take $12,500 more – he now makes $125,000 – until he reviews his agency's budget this summer.
Two years ago, though, Mr. Carrillo said the same thing – and wound up taking the 35 percent raise that was on the table.
Staff writer Christy Hoppe contributed to this report.