There’s been some discussion of what our top statewide office-holders get paid and whether or not they should continue to tighten their belts while the economy struggles. It’s a legitimate conversation because these are folks who make a fairly decent, if not necessarily extravagant, wage.
I’m going to go way out on a limb and say that I think state legislators should be paid more rather than less, especially in these challenging times. I’m not talking big-bucks here, just the equivalent of what minimum wage would yield for fifty-two weeks of uninterrupted employment. At $8.46 per hour X 40 hours X 52 weeks, that comes to $17,596.80. Raise mileage reimbursements somewhat, and eliminate meal and room allowances; but pay them that minimum amount…and link the expectation of pay to compulsory attendance and compliance with rules, as would be the case for any private sector job.
Current compensation is such that few people can really afford to consider running for a seat unless they either have personal wealth to fall back on, a spouse with a nice income, or high hopes of turning their political influence into opportunity or cash at some time in the not-so-distant future. That is the unvarnished reality.
How many job situations will tolerate a four month mid-winter absence every year? And how many families can make ends meet without two incomes?
I’m not saying there is any realistic expectation that Vermont will ever find a way to make service in the legislature a job with a real income. I’m just saying that we must be cognizant of the limitations this situation places on competent people’s ability to serve.
The reason this resonates particularly with me right now is because, in Franklin County, both of our sitting senators are stepping down this year. With two open seats, the pickings are rather slim.
Like many others, I have been wracking my brain to come up with possible candidates. The Republican contenders are predictably abysmal, but that won’t preclude them from winning if Democrats and/or Progressives can’t provide a viable slate of senatorial contestants of their own. So far the only two who have come forward for the Dems are a very senior former senator, who perhaps should be allowed to remain in retirement; and a twenty-one-year-old who has never even run for local office.
It is not my intention to denigrate the only two willing Democratic candidates; but it would seem that we are not really optimizing our possibilities.
There are probably many intelligent, capable citizens in Franklin County who could bring fresh perspectives and new skill-sets to our citizen legislature. Some are disqualified by virtue of government employment; but for many, the rigors of campaigning, coupled with loss of income from a year-round job, are simply more than their families can absorb. So, we find ourselves having to choose not from amongst the best and brightest, but rather from those with the unusual set of circumstances or ambitions that make a run for office a viable option.
With the economy in trouble those constraints on service only become more pronounced.
And that is a real shame.
1) I think we’re fortunate we have a veteran and a young Democrat vying for our 2 Senate seats.
2) I cannot agree enough that public servants need to have decent pay. However, I think campaign financing is the larger issue these days:
http://www.dohiyimir.org/2012/…
I know a couple of folks who have talked about running, but the economy or lack of, in spending a boat load of money to get elected to a job that returns inner tube compensation eventually sets in.
The expectation of interaction with your electorate is an annual one. I doubt anyone gets past the checkout counter in the grocery store without being queried about something that either happened or NEEDS to happen in the legislature. Why we would act, as citizens, as if we only required part time performance for part time pay is beyond me. I am happy they are only in Montpelier causing distraction for a couple of months, but recognize that the and MY expectation of the people I elect to represent me is well beyond the few hours they get paid to serve.
But 52 weeks is hardly fair, since lots of Vermonters have seasonal jobs. Workers at golf courses, ski resorts and landscaping come to mind. I say tie it to the state-wide livable wage for a single-person which was $16.75 two years ago. Drop the mileage and the meals. The legislature will keep the living wage up-to-date and high.
What we really need is public financing of campaigns. That’s the real problem from keeping regular people from running.