Head over to the county election board and submit your campaign paperwork. There’s never been a more lucrative time to run for Oklahoma public office!
Not only can you score bountiful riches from lobbyists, special interest donors and other notable grifters, but thanks to an obscure state board, earn even extra pay from the very same taxpayers you’re going to screw over!
Yesterday afternoon, the 1984-sounding “Statewide Official Compensation Commission” approved a series of massive pay raises for all our statewide office holders — from governors to commissioners to state school superintendents.
Here are the details via Oklahoma Voice:
A state panel on Wednesday approved raises for future statewide elected officials totaling more than $500,000…
Supporters of the hike argued that statewide officials’ salaries hadn’t been increased since 2009.
“The fact that they have not had a salary increase since 2009 – I’m embarrassed,” said David “Chip” Carter, a member of the commission.
I have no clue who Chip Carter is, but that’s a brown-nosing, pick-me-boss answer if I’ve ever heard one. There are lots and lots and lots of embarrassing things about the Oklahoma government, and what we pay our politicians isn’t one of them!
Then again, maybe Chip was quoted out of context.
On one hand, it is embarrassing that we wait 16 years to address things that should be evaluated and adjusted more regularly.
On the other hand, his full comments make him sound less like a shameless sycophant and more like a guy who just really, really wants people in power to feel appreciated.
Via Yawn Doc:
“I’m embarrassed and ashamed in Oklahoma that we have not compensated our officials better than we have. I’m glad that we’re here today, and I hope that we as a body can help begin to rectify that,” Carter said. “It is a great honor to serve your state. We all believe that. But I think the things that you respect and honor, you pay for. And in our society, that’s how we largely gauge things. (…) I think we are really trailing where we should be.”
Ok, never mind. In other news, what did poor Chip have to do – or what did he do – to score the seat on this commission? Lawmakers and other elected officials better send some nice state contracts his way to make up for not only the fat raises, but the pleasantries.
Here’s a breakdown of all the raises:
| Office | Old Salary | New Salary | Increase | % Raise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Superintendent | $124,373 | $250,000 | $125,627 | 100.96% |
| Insurance Commissioner | $114,713 | $185,000 | $70,287 | 61.28% |
| State Treasurer | $114,713 | $175,000 | $60,287 | 52.56% |
| Attorney General | $132,825 | $185,000 | $52,175 | 39.27% |
| Corporation Commissioner | $114,713 | $165,000 | $50,287 | 43.82% |
| State Auditor & Inspector | $114,713 | $150,000 | $35,287 | 30.78% |
| Lieutenant Governor | $114,713 | $145,000 | $30,287 | 26.40% |
| Labor Commissioner | $105,053 | $135,000 | $29,947 | 28.50% |
| Governor | $147,000 | $155,000 | $8,000 | 5.44% |
Hey, I know it’s been a minute since we’ve given state office holders a raise, but who cares. The candidates know how much these jobs pay when they file for them. Plus, isn’t the low pay offset by all the campaign donations, kickbacks and other personal favors they receive? If anything, we should lower their pay to $2.13 an hour and treat them like servers and bartenders.
Out of all the raises, the only one I kind of agree with is doubling the state superintendent to $250,000 a year. That seems like a fair price to pay to try to get someone to clean up the mess Ryan created. The only problem is now that the job pays $250K, they’ll probably get about 50 school-choice cronies, Christian zealots, and other religious right-wing grifters running for the job.
The most insulting raise has to be the $50,000 raise doled out to the corporation commissioners. I don’t have a problem with them getting more money, but shouldn’t that just be paid directly by OG&E? I mean, they’re already bought and paid for by the utility, so why should taxpayers be stuck footing their bill?
The same goes for the insurance commissioner’s big 61% pay jump. I mean, just because our home, health and auto insurance premiums are rising at that same rate doesn’t mean the commish’s salary needs to as well.
Anyway, you can read more about the raises over at Oklahoma Voice or NonDoc.
In the meantime, I’m going to dust off my resume and change my LinkedIn to “Open To Running For Public Office.” Insurance Commissioner, here I come.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll Keep You Advised.
