More than 1 in 10 of the new hires and promotions in the administration of Democrat Raimondo, who came to politics from the venture capital world, pay more than $100,000.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A job here. A job there.

Pretty soon you are talking more than 1,200 newly hired — or newly promoted — state workers who, in some cases, have six-digit salaries unseen in public-sector Rhode Island for anyone other than a University of Rhode Island basketball coach.

A summary provided by the Department of Administration, in response to a Journal request, showed at least 526 new hires since Governor Raimondo took office in January 2015, and more than 625 promotions to what, in most cases, are higher-paying jobs.

More than 130 of these new and higher-paying jobs now pay more than $100,000, though the average pay for these Raimondo-era hires, exclusive of $650-a-week state-police trainees, is $60,909.



For the record: 271 of the new hires are in newly created jobs that did not exist on the state payroll before Democrat Raimondo took office; others moved into vacancies. But not all of the hirings and promotions are attributable to Raimondo. For example, Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee's staff of eight includes $98,340-a-year policy director Andrew Allsopp, the former $94,447-a-year charter school coordinator at the Rhode Island Department of Education.

And the numbers do not include all of the new jobs Raimondo has created in state government.

At least 76 other newly created jobs paying up to $178,978 a year were listed as vacant by the Department of Administration as recently as a week ago Friday.

Excluding interns and seasonal employees, the average pay range for these empty new jobs — which include data-entry operators, budget analysts and registered nurses — is $63,945 to $73,866. (By comparison: the average state employees' salary as of June 30, 2015, was $59,615, according to the state's pension consultant.)

But for 1 in 10 of these jobs — ranging from physician assistants ($86,364 to $109,246) to banking superintendent ($88,586 to $102,860) to "communications director/DOT" ($98,105 to $112,643) — the maximum pay tops $100,000.

The largest salary — $164,295 to $178,978 — on this vacant-job list is earmarked for a new "assistant medical examiner/forensic pathologist."

The next-largest is for a deputy secretary of commerce: $158,522 to $176,419. That's a step down from the $205,706.02 paid Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor.

The third-highest-paying job — with a salary ranging from $141,259 to $155,564 — is reserved for DOT's new "chief operating officer."

On March 25, however, the same day this list was provided to The Journal, the DOT announced that it had promoted its $140,920-a-year deputy director Peter Garino to "acting" COO.

That doesn't mean the number of people on the state payroll has exploded.

On Jan. 1, 2015, there were a total of 14,675 people on the state payroll, including 14,188 full-timers and 487 part-timers. As of the last payroll, the state had 14,716 employees, including 14,200 full-timers and 516 part-timers. In others words, the numbers are up, but not significantly.

What has grown are the salaries the new governor — who came to politics out of the venture capital world — is giving her new hires, while urging lawmakers to give her even more freedom than current law allows to set the salaries of top staff.

Dozens of DMV employees were promised raises of up to 12.5 percent as a result of a morale-boosting move by then-Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee's administration on his way out the door. The explanation by then-DMV administrator Anthony Silva: "to reduce what has been a very high level of turnover" among the people manning the counters.

Others got new and very different jobs. Example: John Dean was a $67,199-a-year special assistant attorney general, specializing in arson cases. Since November, Dean has been the $72,473-a-year chief deputy fire marshal. (Dean was a firefighter in Cary, North Carolina, from 2001-05; in East Hampton, Massachusetts, from 1996-1998; and in Fall River from 1998-2001.)

Another route to a pay raise is a "desk audit," that rewards the employee who can make a good case that he or she is required to do more than their job description requires. Among the five dozen or so state workers who went this route successfully: Paul Agatiello, assistant medical program director, Veterans Affairs, whose salary went from $141,400 to $178,010 last summer, according to the data-run.

The top 10 salaries among these newly hired — and newly promoted — state workers go to:

• Elinore McCance-Katz, chief medical officer, Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals: $247,328.

• Stefan Pryor, secretary of Commerce: $205,706.

• Anne-Marie Fink, chief investment officer, Treasurer's office: $195,430 (up from $176,419).

• Ariel Goldschmidt, assistant medical examiner: $181,978.

• Paul Agatiello, assistant medical program director, Veterans Affairs: $178,010 (up from $141,400)

• R. David Cruise, legislative director, Governor's Office: $173,416 (up from $167,381)

• Jonathan Womer, director, Office of Management and Budget: $171,281.

• Jennifer Clark, medical program director, Department of Corrections: $171,216 (up from $131,718).

• Stephen Neuman, chief of staff, Governor: $170,460

• State Police Lt. Col. Kevin Barry, commanding officer, Department of Public Safety and Training: $163,350 (up from $140,036).

'Temporary' promotions at DOT

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation, meanwhile, has in the last two weeks announced 15 promotions billed as temporary with "an expected duration of no more than 90 days."

The rationale? "Recruitment is underway for all those positions. There are hundreds of applications in for these positions," DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said.

Only Peter Garino, the deputy director promoted to acting chief operating officer, declined the higher salary attached to his interim role.

But others are in line for significant pay boosts, including civil engineer Andranik Tahmassian, who will make $5,381.09 every two weeks as "acting manager, in-house engineering," up from $3,502.90 in his current role as a DOT engineer. If Tahmassian keeps his new role, that would mean an annual increase from $91,075 to $139,908 a year.

The others:

Joseph Baker, acting manager of Project Management, temporary new biweekly salary $5,306.42 (old biweekly salary: $4,922.44); Meredith Brady, acting policy director: $3,971.42 ($3,162.32); Georgette Chahine, acting supervisor, Bridge Planning: $4,178.26 ($3,738.37); Stephen Devine, acting administrator, Office of Transit, New Starts, Operations & Transportation Alternatives: $5,723.52 ( $4,218.57);

David Fish, acting administrator, Division of Project Management $6,616.75 ($5,942.40); John Igliozzi, Esq. , acting assistant director for Legal Services: $4,235.36 ($3,965.20); Craig Nazareth, acting supervisor, Bridge Inspection: $3,655.29 ($2,758.09); Luanne Nevitt, acting supervisor, Physical Alteration Permits: $3,684.35 ($3,503.85); Vincent Palumbo, acting supervisor, Pavement Planning: $4,718.71 (No change in salary);

John Preiss, acting administrator, Office of Stormwater Management: $4,730.17 ($3,644.27); Jay Silva, acting manager, Construction Management: $4,588.48 ($4,143.78); Christos Xenophontos, acting administrator, Division of Planning: $5,941.11 ($5,487.74); Lambri Zerva, acting supervisor, Finals/Quality Compliance: $4,503.30 ($4,151.82).

Presidential campaign notes

• Nick Black, the operations director for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's 2011-12 campaign, is Hillary Clinton's R.I. state director. He expects four more paid staffers for the run-up to the April 26 primary.

• Former IBEW 2222 spokesman Paul Feeney is doubling as Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' state director in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

• Dave Chiokadze, of Newport, will be Republican Donald Trump's state director.

• Ohio Gov. John Kasich's team "will be working out of Mayor [Scott] Avedisian’s campaign headquarters in Warwick," with Dante Vitagliano as director, according to Kasich's co-chair, Dawson Hodgson.

Mulling a run

On Monday, less than a week after switching political parties, newly minted Republican state Rep. Karen MacBeth intends to announce whether or not she will challenge U.S. Rep. David Cicilline's reelection bid. In a brief interview on Friday, MacBeth, R-Cumberland, said she wanted to take the weekend to consult with her family.

"I need a little bit more time," said MacBeth, who disaffiliated from the Democratic Party days before the March 31 deadline for anyone who intends to declare for office in June to jump parties.

First Gentleman subsidy?

“Are the taxpayers paying to promote the First Gentleman?" Rep. Doreen Costa, R-North Kingstown, asked in a press release Thursday around the same time Andy Moffit's long Q&A dropped in Glamour magazine.

Question asked, question answered. Governor Raimondo's spokeswoman, Marie Aberger, said taxpayers contribute little to Moffit's role as first gentleman.

"The First Gentleman does not have any full-time staff, but consistent with previous administrations, various members of our team jump in to provide support for his public activities when needed," Aberger wrote in an email. She added that he does not have an office.

As far as previous administrations go, Stephanie Chafee had the use of a desk in a shared State House office when she was there, which was not very often. No staff were assigned to her.

Suzanne Carcieri was a more frequent presence at the State House and was given her own office and a staffer assigned to her, although not full-time.

— kgregg@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7078

On Twitter: @kathyprojo

— jbogdan@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7493

On Twitter: @JenniferBogdan

— panderson@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7384

On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_