Highly paid commissioners shouldn’t get a better deal than the employees they supervise

(St. Paul, MN…) Senate Republicans called on Gov. Mark Dayton today to limit commissioner raises to no more than what he negotiated with the unions representing state government workers. Last week the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) and the American Council of State County and Municipals Employees (AFSCME) announced they agreed to terms with the Dayton administration for 2.5% raises for the next two years.

“Why do Mark Dayton’s commissioners, who already make over $100,000 per year, need exorbitant raises when their union employees are getting a modest 2.5%?” asked Senate Republican Leader David Hann (Eden Prairie). “If you work in the private sector and make too much money, Mark Dayton will demonize you and raise your taxes. But if you are one of his friends and commissioners getting paid by the taxpayers, apparently you deserve a $150,000 salary.”

In January of this year, Gov. Dayton unilaterally raised the salaries of his commissioners by as much as $35,000, equaling a 20-30% increase in pay overnight for most commissioners. They also received a 5% increase in 2014. When compared to the 2.5% increase in personal income the average Minnesotan experienced between 2013-14, and the 2.5% increase given to union employees this year, the commissioner raises are particularly excessive.

Legislation passed early in the 2015 session gave Gov. Dayton one day (July 1, 2015) to raise the pay of his commissioners before that authority returns to the legislature. Republican Senators voted unanimously for an amendment that would have permanently rolled back the exorbitant increases, taken away Gov. Dayton’s power to reinstate them, and given the legislature oversight over commissioner raises, but that measure was defeated by Democrats.