HARRISBURG — In anticipation of Tom Wolf’s anniversary as Governor, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania is taking a look back on some of the major issues during his first year in office.
Today, we highlight Governor Tom Wolf’s decision to give pay raises to his senior officials just hours after being sworn into office.
“Tom Wolf increased spending the moment he was sworn into office. While Tom Wolf was preaching about a budget deficit in public, he was giving senior officials in his Administration such as Katie McGinty cushy pay raises. Sadly, this episode was just the beginning of the Most Liberal Governor in America’s efforts to increase government spending at the expense of taxpayers.” — PA GOP Communications Director Megan Sweeney
Tom Wolf’s Pay Raises
‘Different kind of governor’ Tom Wolf gave his senior officials five-figure pay raises despite a state budget deficit. “Top officials in Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration began earning six-figure salaries more than $12,700 higher than their predecessors under former Gov. Tom Corbett.” (Melissa Daniels, “Wolf appointees will make more than predecessors under Corbett,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/2/2015)
- Then Chief of Staff Katie McGinty received an even bigger pay raise. “His chief of staff, Katie McGinty, is paid $168,001, about $14,000 more than Corbett’s chief of staff Leslie Gromis Baker. (Melissa Daniels, “Wolf appointees will make more than predecessors under Corbett,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/2/2015)
- It’s more than $230,346 than their “Those salaries will cost a total of $230,346 more in 2015 compared with the beginning of the Corbett administration in 2010. Corbett’s cabinet, at the governor’s request each year, declined to accept automatic cost-of-living salary increases set by a law passed in 1995.” (Melissa Daniels, “Wolf appointees will make more than predecessors under Corbett,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/2/2015)
Rock the Capitol founder Eric Epstein: “When you ask taxpayers to engage in shared sacrifice, it’s helpful if people at the top of the pyramid demonstrate the same sacrifice.” (Melissa Daniels, “Wolf appointees will make more than predecessors under Corbett,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/2/2015)
“‘Good government advocates’…scratching their heads” over the Wolf pay raises “But they’re scratching their heads over Wolf’s decision to start top officials at higher salaries than their predecessors on former Gov. Tom Corbett’s team and move away from Corbett’s ban on annual raises.
- Pay raises “make it tough to talk shared sacrifice” for the Wolf Administration “Critics say that’s going to make it tough for Wolf to talk shared sacrifice as he works to close a more than $2 billion budget deficit.” (Liam Migdail-Smith, “Will Wolf be ‘different kind of governor’?,” Reading Eagle, 2/18/2015)
The Wolf Pay Raises “sends a terrible message to taxpayers who will be tapped to close the budget gap.” (Editorial, “The Wolf raises: Spittle from the clarion,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/4/2015)
- “Think greed, arrogance, entitlement and self-service before public service.” (Editorial, “The Wolf raises: Spittle from the clarion,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/4/2015)
- “So much for Tom Wolf’s “unconventional governor” pledge…he plunders taxpayers’ pockets to fill those of his top officials” “So much for Tom Wolf’s “unconventional governor” pledge. Making a show of his own frugality, he plunders taxpayers’ pockets to fill those of his top officials.” (Editorial, “The Wolf raises: Spittle from the clarion,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2/4/2015)
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