Governor’s Staff Makes Millions
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Governor Lincoln Chafee has not made the substantial cuts in the staff budget for his office that he promised he would immediately before taking office eight months ago, a GoLocalProv review of salary records shows.
“I feel confident that my staff will be a model of efficiency and productivity,” Chafee said in a statement released the week before his inauguration. “Our state is in a fiscal crisis, and bearing in mind our sizeable deficit and the difficult economic times, I want my office to set an example for frugality and efficiency in state government. We will have fewer employees, but we have a talented team who will work hard to accomplish more with less.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTChafee’s transition office said that his initial staff would have 25 full-time employees and that their salaries would total about $1.9 million—drawing an implicit contrast with his predecessor, Gov. Don Carcieri. In his statement Chafee noted that Pat Rogers and Mike Trainor would be taking on two positions each. “This will lead to considerable savings,” Chafee said.
But those savings did not materialize over the long term. Eight months into office, Chafee’s office has 37 full-time employees with salaries totaling $2,593,672. By comparison, Carcieri had 38 full-time employees whose salaries cost a total of $2,673,456, as of October 23, 2010. The difference in salaries comes down to just $79,784, or less than 3 percent, according to data provided by Chafee’s office in respond to a GoLocalProv records request.
(See the below chart for the complete breakdown of all the costs for the Governor’s staff.)
‘One more example of how we cannot trust Chafee’
“This is just one more example of how we cannot ‘Trust Chafee,’” said Lisa Blais, a leader of the new Ocean State Tea Party in Action. “I’m not surprised to learn of this because Gov. Chafee has failed to show the frugality and leadership that 64 percent of the voting public wanted from the Governor’s office.”
But Christine Hunsinger, Director of Communications, said the Governor has still “met the expectations set out” in the news release his transition office issued about eight months ago. While Gov. Carcieri had a budget of $3.1 million for his staff in fiscal year 2010, Chafee has a budget of $2.6 million for 2012, according to Hunsinger.
“What Chafee really did was cut what he could spend,” Hunsinger said. “Gov. Chafee is setting an example. He’s cut his budget by 17 percent and stuck to it,” Hunsinger said.
Taxpayer advocates say that what really matters is not what is budgeted but what is actually spent.
“Governor Chafee went into office not only critical of the staff size and costs of his predecessor, but also made a very public promise to run a lean and cost efficient internal staff, and it’s very disheartening to learn he’s not keeping that promise,” said Harriet Lloyd, executive director of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition.
‘False bravado’ on cost-cutting
“It’s just another hollow declaration,” said Ken McKay, the state GOP chairman who served as Carcieri’s chief of staff from 2003 to 2006. McKay said Chafee’s declaration that he would significantly reduce costs was not realistic. “It was kind of this false bravado, ‘I’m going to do more with less.’”
McKay said the broken promise also points to Chafee’s “inability to manage” his office. “He’s the Governor. Who in his staff let him down?” McKay said.
When the rising cost of health benefits—medical, dental, and vision—are factored into the equation, the difference in actual spending on staff between Carcieri and Chafee shrinks to $38,198. And these figures do not take into account contributions to pensions and retiree health care. (They do include some federally funded positions, but so do the total figures for Carcieri.)
Even keeping the budget relatively flat still reflects positively on the Governor, according to Hunsinger. “Holding the line on spending from one year to the next is absolutely an accomplishment,” she said.
Spokeswoman: Carcieri costs were still higher
Plus, she said, comparing costs in the office in Oct. 23, 2010, when Carcieri’s office was winding down to the current expenses did not show the real differences in cost.
“Had you looked at a different point in time you would have seen Gov. Carcieri fully staffed with high-profile figures,” she said. “The difference would have been significant.” (Hunsinger chose to provide GoLocalProv salaries in effect on Oct. 23, 2010 rather than an earlier date. She said she chose that date to avoid mixing the costs of the transition staff and Carcieri’s staff after the election.)
Hunsinger noted the increase in health insurance expenses reflected a broader trend in rising costs in the industry.
But Blais said that is no excuse. “Governor Chafee had every opportunity to keep his word by imposing a higher cost share toward health insurance for his staff’s taxpayer-subsidized benefits,” she said. Currently, members of the Governor’s staff pay the same co-share that other state employees do, according to Hunsinger.
Six in the Six Figure Club
The salary records also show that six members of Chafee’s office are earning six-figure salaries—two less than under Carcieri. They are:
■ Patrick Rogers, Chief of Staff and Executive Counsel—$210,101
■ Stephen Hourahan, Senior Advisor—$155,010
■ Governor Chafee himself—$129,210
■ Brian Daniels, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs—$110,640
■ Claire Richards, Senior Legal Counsel—$136,529
■ Jamia McDonald, Deputy Chief of Staff—$146,592
Lloyd also took issue with the compensation levels for Chafee’s staff. “This state continues to have among the highest unemployment rates in the country and many Rhode Islanders are underemployed and so it would seem the Governor could set a better example of offering more moderate salaries for staffers, especially the six figure staffers,” Lloyd said.
“The Governor believes that like any executive he should be able to pick his team and compensate them fairly,” Hunsinger responded.
She noted that the compensation for the highest earner, Rogers, reflects the fact that he has taken on two positions, Chief of Staff and Executive Counsel. Likewise, Daniels is now handling two positions—policy development and outreach to the General Assembly. His added responsibilities kicked in on August 5. Before that, he was earning $92,669.
Pay increases for six-figure staffers
Salary records also show that most staff members at six-figures received salary increases between June 30 and August 5. For example, Rogers’s increased by about $7,000, from $203,371. Hourahan increased by approximately $6,000, from $149,379.
The higher salaries reflect automatic step increases that kicked in during that period, according to Hunsinger. She said the Governor did not give out any discretionary raises.
Trainor still on Governor’s payroll
The salary records show that former Communications Director Mike Trainor is still on the payroll for the Governor’s office. Even though he was moved to a communications post at the Office of Higher Education, Hunsinger said his position is still being funded through the budget for the Governor’s office.
Trainor took a significant pay cut in the move, which took effect August 5. He is now earning $88,177, down from the $133,112 he was making as the Director of Communications for the Governor.
At the Office of Higher Education, Trainor will be assisting with strategic planning and communications as the office goes through an evaluation process. When that process has been completed, Hunsinger said he could be re-assigned somewhere else. It’s not clear exactly how long he will be at the Office of Higher Education. “It’s going to depend on the time it takes [for the evaluation],” Hunsinger said. “I would suspect that it would take a year.”
No decisions have been made on where Trainor would go after that, according to Hunsinger.
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