A Nice (If Unconstitutional and Half-Hearted) Gesture
As Governor Beshear readies his plan to deal with much of the projected $456 million shortfall, he announces that he will take a 10% reduction in his salary, along with Governor-Lite Mongiardo and five of his top staff.
Whether or not it is a political stunt, it is a good symbol of tough financial times and he deserves that small credit.
It is a trifle, and one that few will hold against him, that he doesn't seem to have the authority to change his or the Governor-Lt.'s salary. Section 74 of the Kentucky Constitution states that those salaries are set by law:
The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall at stated times receive for the performance of the duties of their respective offices compensation to be fixed by law.
And therefore his salary is entirely in the purview of the Legislature. Elsewhere, the Constitution forbids public officials to change their salary while in office. But we digress.
What is disappointing is the limitation of the symbolic stunt:
Beshear, who makes $124,000 a year, said Monday that the salary cuts are not a publicity stunt but a symbolic way to show he is "willing to share the pain" in pending state budget cuts.
Still, the governor said he will not ask other political appointees in his administration to volunteer for pay cuts.
If this is a symbol for the tough times when everyone will have to take a cut, why not back up the sentiment by including more of "everyone".
Just one example would be to include a reduction in the $20,000 raise he gave his political buddy Ralph Coldiron in the Department of Homeland Security. But according to Governor Beshear, since it's federal tax dollars, it's not real money:
Q: You talk about cuts but news stories have accounted questionable spending in your administration, such as additional dollars for some hires in homeland security.
Don’t you think that gives a bad perception of how state dollars are being handled?
Beshear: I don’t apologize for hiring qualified people that you need.
The jobs in homeland security are all federally funded so they don’t affect our budget crisis one way or another.
So it remains to be seem if Beshear really believes in the sentiment he's expressing. He still has a chance to show us he really means it. As Senate President David Williams put it:
"If he is truly empathetic with Kentuckians' financial situation, perhaps a more appropriate response would be to join me in holding the line on taxes."
