On: At Least He’s Not Doing It For the Money

If Butch Otter wanted to be rich earning money from the state, he should have coached football, at least according to the Spokesman Review:

BOISE – Idaho’s highest-paid state employee is Boise State University head football coach Chris Petersen, who now makes nearly seven times as much as Gov. Butch Otter.

And Petersen’s not the only one out-earning the governor. According to a new state report, a record 284 Idaho state employees now pull in more than the state’s top executive, up from 213 last year.

Otter’s annual salary of $108,727 is just below the amount paid to every district judge in the state, not to mention higher-paid workers like college presidents, top professors, Otter’s chief of staff, several agency heads and physicians employed by the state Department of Health and Welfare.

Otter sees no problem with that, however.

“There are specific and sought-after talents, skills, educational specialties or market forces associated with each of those higher salaries,” he said Wednesday.

“But much also is expected from those to whom Idaho taxpayers grant so much. One of my jobs as governor is to remind all state employees of that truth.”

Petersen also was the state’s highest-paid employee last year at $400,000, but that was before his BSU Broncos won the Fiesta Bowl and his pay soared to $725,109

Otter will probably be the last one to ask for a salary increase. Part of it may be public-spiritedness, but largely, I really don’t believe he needs the money. Of course eventually, we’ll want to increase the salary (probably effective once Butch leaves office.) because with inflation the actual value of $108,000 will drop if not increased. However, when you have a governor who doesn’t need the money, you should take advantage of it.