Published: February 17, 2008 12:22 am            

Snowden clarifies statements

Editor's note: State Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, wrote to offer clarification to published statements he made at Monday's meeting of the Council of Governments.



The following is an excerpt from the meeting minutes story:



"Of the upcoming vote on raises for state elected officials, including legislators, which, if passed, would be implemented before the end of term, Snowden said he believes “Nobody will get a pay raise unless the Legislature gets one.” Snowden was speaking particularly of possible teacher pay-raises, and added that he does not support the pay-raise bill. He provided a detailed print-out of his own pay, which showed a gross total of $35,174.10 and a net total of $26,351.07. The pay was a combination of salary as a legislator, expenses and mileage."



Snowden offered the following points of clarification:



• I made clear that I would not support a pay raise for Legislators because, as a matter of principle, I do not believe that any public body should raise it's own pay during their term of office, unless the raise is only effective after the next election. Any legislative pay raise should become effective only after the 2011 elections.



• My statement that "Nobody will get a pay raise unless the Legislature gets one" is, I believe, the attitude of the leadership proposing the pay raise bill for elected officials (not teachers), but this is not my own attitude. By "nobody," I was referring only to the other elected officials covered by the proposed pay bill, not school teachers or other state employees, who very well may receive a pay raise regardless of whether elected officials receive one. Teachers and state employees have nothing to do with the pending pay raise bill.



• The only reason I mentioned the teacher pay raise was as an additional reason I could not support the Legislative pay raise. As you know, my wife and daughter are both public school teachers, but I nevertheless voted against a premature teacher pay raise bill a couple of weeks ago precisely because we do not yet know whether we will have the money to fund it until we address the Medicaid situation. I do not like sham bills or making false promises. My statement at COG was that I could not very well credibly vote for a Legislative pay raise (even if I was otherwise inclined to do so) after having voted against a teacher pay raise, even a premature one. In truth, however, the teacher pay raise, if there is one, will be in a completely separate bill which will have to be voted on later in the session, and has nothing to do with the pending proposed Legislative pay raise bill, which I will oppose as a matter of principle.



• Finally, I passed out the printout of my own legislative compensation for 2007 at the COG meeting because I firmly believe that everyone who pays taxes has the right to know what I (and other legislators) make for serving in office. The taxpayers pay us, after all. We all knew what the job paid before we ran for the office, as did the folks who voted for us, which is still another reason not to support any Legislative pay raise that takes effect any time before the next election. It is unseemly for any public official to complain of what he or she makes in office, and improper (I believe) to vote to raise his or her own pay prior to facing the voters in an election.

I hope this clarifies what I was trying to say.



Rep. Greg Snowden

Meridian

        

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