AUGUSTA, Maine — Legislative leaders Wednesday defused a debate regarding salaries for Maine’s incoming secretary of state, attorney general and House clerk that had the potential to become the first major flare-up of the new legislative session between the newly elected Democratic majority and the Republican minority.
Members of the Legislative Council voted unanimously to set salaries for incoming Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, Attorney General Janet Mills and House Clerk Millicent MacFarland at levels that consider them new to their jobs, without prior experience.
All three officers, however, have experience in the posts they will assume next month, and Democratic leaders last week considered assigning Dunlap, Mills and MacFarland the salaries they were earning two years ago when they were voted out of the same jobs.
Republicans argued that state law requires the officers’ salaries be set as if they were newly elected with no prior experience in the position. The state law governing their pay does allow the Legislative Council — an administrative body of 10 lawmakers elected to leadership posts — to raise the officials’ salaries for each year of “continuous service.”
Democrats countered that precedent, including Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s recruitment of Cabinet members in 2011, allows the returning officers to be paid the same salaries they earned two years ago, rather than be paid as new hires.
According to state law, a newly elected secretary of state and treasurer would earn $69,264, according to a Dec. 6 memo from the Legislative Council’s executive director, David Boulter. The state does not make retirement contributions for constitutional officers, but the officers receive a 5 percent salary premium, which would raise the secretary of state and treasurer’s total salary to $72,727.
The same law sets the salary for a new attorney general at $92,248, which would rise to $96,860 with the 5 percent premium.
Legislative leaders on Wednesday endorsed those salary levels for Dunlap and Mills.
“After careful consideration and consultation with our members, we have determined it appropriate to set the salaries for the officers at the initial rate,” said House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick. “We’re grateful for them for returning to service, and we will rely on their wisdom and experience as we move forward.”
Dunlap served six years as secretary of state, from 2005 until early 2011. He was earning $83,745 when he left office. Mills’ compensation was more than $96,000, which includes the 5 percent premium. She served two years as attorney general, from early 2009 to early 2011.
MacFarland earned approximately $116,000 when she left as clerk of the House in January 2011. A veteran with more than 30 years experience as a legislative clerk, MacFarland subsequently retired. State law sets the salary for a newly elected clerk at $76,627 or $83,533 annually.
MacFarland will earn a fraction of her full salary, as she is earning a pension as a retiree.
No direct precedent exists for dealing with whether to compensate Dunlap, Mills and MacFarland for prior time on the job, as no previous secretary of state, attorney general or House clerk has returned to office after a break in service.
When the GOP won majorities in both legislative chambers in 2010, Republicans Charlie Summers, William Schneider and Heather Priest replaced Dunlap, Mills and MacFarland, respectively.
At the Legislative Council’s first meeting Dec. 6, the panel tabled action on compensation for constitutional officers, the state auditor and the clerk of the House and secretary of the Senate.
Rep. Ken Fredette of Newport, the House Republican leader, endorsed the resolution of the salary issue.
“I appreciate the thoughtfulness and the way that we’re progressing on this,” he said.
Sen. Michael Thibodeau of Winterport, the Senate Republican leader, said later in a prepared statement that Democrats ultimately made the right choice in assigning the officers starting salaries, citing budget struggles ahead for lawmakers as they tackle a $35.5 million revenue shortfall this budget year and a $100 million budget gap in the state’s Medicaid program.
“While I am relieved that Democratic leadership ultimately made the right choice in the face of public outrage,” his statement said, “it is unfortunate that they were even considering paying political appointees more than the law allows during these hard economic times.”
They should not be considered as new or as having no experience.
It’s not that unreasonable.
Those are good wages for anyone anywhere, and there are a few perks that come with these jobs. Not saying they won’t work hard, but right now the State of Maine does have to watch its spending. It’s great that the Democrats brought folks back in who have experience and will help with guide the state at the ‘lower’ rates. It’s also great that the situation was diffused, so they could get on with the business at hand…..LePage could learn from that example.
How would the Republicans feel about a “beginners salary” for the Governor. Why didn’t someone push for that two years ago? It would have been totally justified given the poor performance we’ve seen over these two years.
Maybe he should have been given the starting rate – exactly HOW MUCH POLITICAL EXPERIENCE did Mr LePage have before he came to the Gov. Office??? hmmm —-sorry he DID work for Mardens once huh!!!
One could ask the same about obama.
As usual your comments are off subject, take your medication and rest:)
He was. The rate hasn’t changed at all in decades.
I’ve no love for LePage and his policies, though this is partisan ignorance. Beginners salary in 2010 because of the poor performance for the past two years? As Jack White says, you can’t take the effect and make it the cause.
Also, just a little FYI – the Maine governor’s salary is the lowest governor’s salary in the USA.
This was the right decision.
See how quickly fluid minds can make tense situations vanish. Sadly, there just seems to be too many folks in politics who’s minds are set in concrete, even when the people of this nation (or this state in particular) are shouting at them to stop and listen to what we (the voters) are telling them. There’s a lesson to be learned here Mr. Lepage. This is how good government moves itself forward.
It is an appointed position, not a career, Entry Level was the only Legal thing to do.These laws were written by the Liberals before Mr LePage took office.. The Liberals haven’t missed a step.. except for the fact that their own laws were used against them this one time..LOL!!! It’s a Start.
It sounds to me that they could have set the salaries higher.Mr LePage had already done that.They could have just followed his example.They used good judgement for Mr.Le Page to follow.Let’s see if he does that.Any bets anyone?
All government jobs should be capped at the average private sector wage. Perhaps if they depended on their constituents having good jobs it would change how they do theirs.
I would GLADLY take private sector wages for my government job! I believe many in State gov. would also. The only problem is there isn’t any jobs in northern Maine.
So the private sector wage for that job in that area is zero. We’ll look forward to you giving back your paycheck.
that is exactly right.If voters wages went up then politicians wages should follow.You would not see these money hungry democrats rushing to get these life time jobs then.Mr Lepage made a big mistake by not completely cleaning out Augusta from the janitor all the way up.They all should have had to reapply.Things would be a lot better in Augusta now.
I wouldn’t get out of bed for $98k/year. Who can live on a crap wage like that?
I recall from yesterday’s article about this matter that Governor LePage paid the majority of his appointed cabinet members more than the starting pay for their positions, recognizing previous experience, not of course in the particular job, for a higher beginning salary.
It is unfortunate that the first move out of the chutes by the new Democratic majority was a tone deaf, self serving, politically inept public relations debacle. Now the new legislature must push that boulder up the mountain of public cynic
ism trying to convince voters that they haven’t made a mistake electing Democrats. Bad way to start a new deal with Mainers. Mainers voted in Democrats because they hated the teabillys and LePage. All Democrats really needed to do was shut up, just stand there and be swept to victory thanks to Obama’s coattails. Democrats need to stop taking bows, get off the podium and start behaving like responsible public servants. It’s not enough to counter the stupidity and destructiveness of the present Republican party; you have to have your own plan and then deliver! I sure hope that Democrats have a plan to address the shrinking middle class and the spiral of poverty that has affected all Mainers. By the way, It might have been smarter to bring new blood into the top slots rather than return folks who represent the inside clique of the party. More of the same is not what Mainers wanted, they wanted change. I yearn for the day when other, more seasoned Democratic leaders take over the party, and expand its expertise, diversity, and maturity of political thought and action.
Hmmm. The Democratic leadership considered paying people according to their experience, that is something they are entitled to do for these positions after the position is filled. That is also something that happens in the private sector. Nothing illegal happened. They floated an idea, considered the consequences, and concluded that the positions should be filled at base pay for inexperienced people.
Meanwhile, Republicans, desperately needing to redirect attention away from Lepage’s intransigence, put on a great big show of outrage BEFORE the leadership resolved the issue. The Democrats acted openly and publicly. They listened to the points of view of the public and the opposition before taking action.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Lepage acted openly and publicly? Wouldn’t it be nice if he considered the public sentiment and the positions expressed by the opposing party? He could do so by meeting with the leadership of the legislative majority; and by issuing the bonds the public approved in the last election.
But that would require more maturity than he has typically displayed. Tone deaf, self serving, and politically inept public relations debacles seem to be a staple of the Republican party, viz: Romney and the 47%, Republican Senate candidates and ignorant rape comments, Rove’s public flame-out on Fox, etc.
‘Dunlap, Mills and MacFarland got Walmarted by the state’
Thats that title of this news story i would have gone with
Another liberal interpretation of what not to do. They start off as new employees there was a break in service what is not to understand. Who cares if they were there before? Salary plus five percent we would all like that. Just another give away. The clerk makes more the the Governor.
Its it the Republicans that Yell we should run Government like a Business? Now don’t business pay based on past experience?
watch them real close.The spendocrats will have them pocketing enough or more to make up the loss.I think congress needs a few non bias trackers i would donate to that.just good luck finding any without the progressive cover up mentality.
What this article does not say is that two years ago Republican legislators voted to pay their elected Clerk of the House – with no experience – the MAXIMUM SALARY allowed by law. When Democrats proposed the same thing for people with substantial experience Republicans went ballistic. Rank hypocrisy: it’s what Republicans do best.