Amid budget grief, big raises for Dover political aides

Delaware lawmakers quietly awarded their top political aides in Legislative Hall thousands of dollars in raises earlier this year, even as they reduced or eliminated general pay increases for rank-and-file state employees, according to a review of payroll data by The News Journal.

Sean Finnigan, who works as chief of staff to Democratic lawmakers in the Delaware House of Representatives, saw his salary rise in January from $81,591 to $91,500, a 12.1 percent increase, records show.

The top aides for Senate Republicans and Democrats also saw raises of $10,000 each earlier this year. For Bill Cook, the Republican chief of staff, his pay increase amounted to a 15 percent bump in pay.

Valerie McCartan, the Senate Democrats' chief of staff since January 2013, now makes $87,756 annually, a 13 percent increase over her previous year's salary. Lower-paid staffers saw increases, too, records show.

In the House of Representatives, more than a dozen political staff members working for Democrats and Republicans received raises of between 5.6 percent and 16.6 percent of their annual pay, according to Delaware payroll records.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, a Rehoboth Democrat who approved the raises, ducked questions from The News Journal, ignoring repeated requests for comment. "Pete is not available to comment about this," said Drew Volturo, a House Democratic spokesman.

The raises cost taxpayers about $140,000 — not enough to solve Delaware's budget problems.

But the increases are striking considering that lawmakers, in 2014 and 2015 budget negotiations, reduced or eliminated across-the-board pay increases for state employees, while heaping hefty pay increases on their closest political advisers.

State employees saw $500 general pay increases in January after lawmakers voted in June 2014 to eliminate a full-year, across-the-board 1 percent increase proposed by Gov. Jack Markell.

During budget negotiations this summer, lawmakers eliminated general pay increases for state employees altogether. Union leaders who represent state employees were outraged to learn that political aides did not share in the pain.

"I think it's highly unfair to tell us how horrible things are and give somebody a $10,000 increase," said Michael Begatto, executive director of the Delaware chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union (AFSCME). "What justified it?"

Begatto represents 3,500 state employees, including nurses in state facilities, correctional officer supervisors and equipment operators at the Delaware Department of Transportation.

"I have nurses who should be making more than they do. They can make more in the private sector, but they choose to serve," Begatto said. "It's disturbing that 16-percent increases are given in the dark of night."

Top Republicans and Senate Democrats said they agreed to raises only after learning earlier this year about pay raises for House Democratic aides. "We've had people taken from the Senate to the House and I would like to prevent that if we can," said Senate President Pro Tem Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere.

House Minority Leader Daniel Short, R-Seaford, said it was only fair that Republicans received raises after the Democratic pay increases. "Not just your side, but our side," he said.

Geoff Klopp, who represents prison guards as president of the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware, was shocked when he learned of the increases from The News Journal last week.

"Oh my god," Klopp said, adding that political advisers seem to have benefited from "favoritism" because of their relationship with top lawmakers.

"It sounds like nepotism to me," Klopp said. "For the last six years under this governor and his administration, state employees, all state employees, have continued to go backwards. The fact that someone would find it acceptable to take care of a small faction of state employees is concerning."

Certain state government workers are eligible for pay increases above across-the-board raises considered by lawmakers during budget negotiations every June.

Delaware's school teachers, for example, receive formulaic annual increases as prescribed in budget language. Public education step increases, which are costing Delaware taxpayers $9.7 million this year, are based on years of experience and a teacher's level of education.

State workers can receive pay increases if their positions are reclassified by Delaware cabinet secretaries because the positions take on additional responsibilities.

But those raises must be approved through the annual budgeting process, with the go-ahead from the Delaware Office of Management and Budget — or, in time-critical situations, by a committee of human resources and budget officials.

Employees covered by union collective bargaining negotiations could also see additional pay increases. Correctional officer supervisors represented by AFSCME are in line to receive 2 percent increases, for example, after a recent round of negotiations.

"I don't want to begrudge anyone a pay increase," Begatto said. "But don't tell me it's raining, and it only rains for some and not for everybody."

When it came time for raises for political aides, top lawmakers were able to hand out thousands of dollars in increases without consulting with budget officials.

Finnigan, the Democratic chief of staff, said top House Democrats approved raises after reviewing staff positions, roles and salaries for the first time since 2008. Job titles did not change, but the review indicated a need for higher pay.

"As a result of that process, we adjusted pay for employees based on their duties as compared to similar job descriptions across state government," Finnigan said. "We also instituted a uniform base pay for all new legislative aides, regardless of which caucus they work for or what their predecessor was paid at the time they left."

Higher salaries also are designed to help with staff retention, Finnigan said. And total House payroll costs are down more than $200,000 compared to pre-recession levels, as state government has attempted to trim government agency employment. "We have fewer people doing more work for less money, which is a situation faced by almost every state agency since 2009," Finnigan said.

It is not clear, however, the raises were even communicated to rank-and-file members of the Democratic caucus in the House. Rep. John Kowalko, a Newark Democrat, said the increases are another example of a failure of leadership by Schwartzkopf and other top Democrats.

Kowalko admitted to mixed emotions about the raises. Legislative Hall employees work hard and staff retention is important, he said. On the other hand, approving raises for political staff while reducing general pay increases for state employees and preaching austerity sends a bad message to the public.

"When I saw the enormity of those increases, quite frankly, I was taken aback," Kowalko said.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com. Contact Jon Offredo at (302) 678-4271, on Twitter @jonoffredo or at joffredo@delawareonline.com.

Big raises in Legislative Hall

More than a dozen political aides working for Democrats and Republicans in Dover received raises of between 5.6 percent and 16.6 percent of their annual pay, according to Delaware payroll records. The raises were approved even as lawmakers eliminated or reduced budgetary pay increases for rank-and-file state employees. Here are the biggest 2015 raises in Legislative Hall.

Name, Title, Old salary, New Salary

Valerie McCartan, Chief of staff Senate Democrats, $77,756, $87,756

Bill Cook, Chief of staff Senate Republicans, $67,190, $77,190

Sean Finnigan, Chief of staff House Democrats, $81,591, $91,500

Lorraine Sexton, House of Representatives financial officer, $62,620, $70,500

Lauren Cutajar-Wynne, Senior Legislative Aide to leadership, $43,708, $50,973

Rylene Harper, Legislative aide, $55,118.87, $62,000

Rich Puffer, Chief clerk of the House of Representatives, $77,269.44, $82,500