State Recommends Doubling Governor’s Salary
The State Compensation Commission has unanimously recommended in a report that was approved on Monday that the Maine Governor's salary should be nearly doubled.
According to the KJ, Maine's gubernatorial salary is $70,000 annually. 'Embarrassingly low' according to the Compensation Commission. They recommend an annual salary increase to $130,000. In addition, the commission wants to increase the Governor's expense account from $30,000 to $40,000 annually.
The KJ reports that the recommendations will be sent to Gov. Mills and also to the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee, where based on what we've seen in recent past it will likely face a difficult political path.
Currently, Maine pays its governor less than any other state in the US. The $70,000 salary was put in place back in 1987. For that salary to be worth the same today, the Governor would need to be paid $160,000 annually. Even if the change is made to pay Maine's Chief $130,000, we will still be 35th in the country for highest paid governors.
It's also important to note that Janet Mills, in her current term, would not benefit from a salary increase. If passed, the new salary would not take effect until the next gubernatorial term, whether that be mills or someone else. That is all written into Maine's constitution for both governors and lawmakers alike.