Discussion of elected officials’ salaries, prompted by events like Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s now-abandoned plan to work weekends at a law firm, is often unsatisfying because the discussion focuses on a particular situation, rather than the big picture. Moreover, those most informed on the issue, the statewide elected officials, usually say little for fear of appearing self-serving (or their contributions to the discussion are limited to platitudes about the intangible rewards of public service).
There are three reasons why public officials should be paid adequately:
1. To ensure that not just the wealthy run for office. Our democracy functions best when citizens from across the spectrum serve as public officials and bring their experience to leadership roles. There are many small-business owners, lawyers, university professors, business people and public and private sector administrators who, like Gessler, would find it hard to support their families on the salaries available to state officials, especially with the impact on retirement planning and continuity that Colorado’s term limits create. The public should not be deprived of the service of everyday Coloradans by making it difficult for any but the very rich to serve.
2. To guard against corruption. As the “good government” movement in the early 20th century articulated, adequate public- sector salaries help lessen the risk of corruption and bribery of those entrusted to make important decisions.
3. To ensure that elected officials will use 100 percent of their professional energies on behalf of the public. Governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general are tough jobs, involving management of large budgets and hundreds of personnel. To do such a job well requires an official’s full attention and much more than a 40-hour week.
Anyone who watched last year’s attorney general race knows that I have had sharp differences with some decisions by John Suthers. But the people of Colorado should appreciate that he has served as AG for over six years, managing a budget of $50 million and hundreds of employees on a salary of $80,000 — about half what a beginning lawyer is offered at a top Colorado law firm.
Some suggest that those who run for office should be happy to be paid whatever the salary happens to be, knowing they may be able to cash in through lobbying jobs after they serve. This sentiment, however, encourages public service for ulterior motives and may foster cozy relationships with the regulated. Adequate salaries help ensure the tough, independent judgment on behalf of the public interest to which Coloradans are entitled.
Some public officials in Colorado are paid more appropriately than the governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. Colorado judicial salaries, both trial and appellate, are set by the legislature and have been indexed recently (2008) to the average salaries of a metro area presiding municipal judge, or, in other years, state administrative law judges, whose salaries are set by survey.
District attorneys, whose salaries are funded through a combination of state and county monies, are also paid reasonably. (State law mandates that the minimum salary for any district attorney is $120,000.) City managers and school superintendents, whose salaries are determined by the largely volunteer school boards and city councils they serve, are often paid salaries in excess of $200,000.
Keeping public sector salaries up to date is a necessity. Addressing this issue now, in this budget climate, may be politically difficult. Neglecting it, however, is to risk poor government, or even scandal. In a bipartisan spirit, with a commitment to the future, our legislature and governor should promptly move to bring the salaries of our statewide constitutional officers in line.
Stan Garnett is district attorney for Colorado’s 20th Judicial District in Boulder.
