Some McKee cabinet directors may see raises as high as 43% under new proposal

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Dan McKee is proposing raises of up to 43% for his cabinet directors.

The proposed raises will be aired at a public hearing conducted by the Department of Administration on Monday.

An exodus of Raimondo-era holdovers in the last year and a half has left McKee – who ascended to the governor's office in March 2021 and is now seeking election to his first full term – with a musical-chairs cabinet packed with "acting" directors.

Some trouble-prone agencies – such as the Department of Children, Youth & Families – have had acting directors for years.

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Why raises for cabinet directors?

On Tuesday, McKee spokesman Matt Sheaff provided this explanation for McKee's move in the week after narrowly winning the five-way Democratic primary for governor:

"The Department of Administration did a competitive analysis of comparable state government positions in other states. In Mass and CT, on average, these positions are making approximately $20,000 more than in Rhode Island.

"Additionally, some of these Rhode Island positions have not had a salary increase since 2015. This needs to be addressed to retain and attract talented individuals to open positions," he said.

Elaborating on McKee's intent, he said: "The salary amounts that are posted for public comment are the governor’s intended maximum salary caps that these positions should be at in order to attract and retain talent. It is the governor’s further intention to gradually increase the salaries of these positions over time and not all at once."

When asked why McKee yanked a package of proposed raises for his cabinet last spring, Sheaff said: "It was previously withdrawn so that DOA could do the full comparative analysis to give a clear picture of the competitive field before moving forward."

In response to a Journal story on the proposed pay raises, Matt Hanrahan, the spokesman for GOP candidate for governor Ashley Kalus tweeted: "What a joke.

"How out of touch is Dan McKee to give 43% raises to members of his cabinet already making six figures. Enough is enough. It’s time to stop doling out taxpayer dollars to insiders. Just the latest example of using public funds to shore up support before Election Day."

That was before the release by the McKee administration of the findings of a comparison of salaries paid here to those in other states.

The comparison found, for example, that the average pay for a director of health in Massachusetts and Connecticut is $190,311, compared with $140,000 here.

Explaining the move to raise directors' salaries now, administration spokeswoman Laura Hart said: "The average pay for the head of a Rhode Island state agency currently trails Massachusetts’ and Connecticut’s averages by more than $20,000.

Proposed salary increases

The biggest raise would go to the director of the state Department of Health, which has had more than one "acting" director since Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott resigned last winter.

Under McKee's proposal, the base salary for the state health director – a job currently held by Dr. Utpala Bandy – would increase from $140,000 to $200,000.

The second-highest salary would go to the new head of the Rhode Island State Police: Col. Darnell Weaver. His base pay would rise from $155,000 to $195,000 a year.

His situation is complicated. As Department of Adminstration spokeswoman Laura Hart explains: "Had Colonel Weaver remained in his [lieutenant colonel] position, he would have been earning a base salary of $194,382 as of June 5, 2022, rather than the $155,000 base salary offered the colonel position as head of public safety.

"Additionally, the base salary for a [lieutenant colonel] would have increased to $199,242 by Oct. 23, " she said.

To make up this disparity between his earnings in a lower-ranked job and his pay as superintendent, she said: "the colonel’s salary will be temporarily increased for three pay periods to compensate for these financial disparities."

If the proposed pay moves are approved, his 2022 calendar year salary will be $218,494, Hart said.

Other big pay boosts sought

The next biggest pay boosts would go to the directors of the state's Department of Children, Youth & Families, currently Kevin Aucoin, and the Department of Corrections, currently Patricia Coyne-Fague. Their base pay would go from $135,000 to $190,000.

Others in line for proposed increases in their base pay include:

• Secretary of Health & Human Services, currently Ana Novais: $155,000 to $190,000.

• Director of the Department of Revenue, currently Jane Cole, and of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, Richard Charest: $135,000 to $180,000.

• Director of the Department of Transportation, Peter Alviti: $155,000 to $190,000.

• Director of the Department of Administration, James Thorsen: $155,000 to $185,000.

• Director of the Department of Labor and Training, Matt Wheldon: $155,000 to $170,000.

• Director of the Department of Human Services, currently Kimberly Brito: $135,000 to $160,000.

• The directors of the departments of Environmental Management, Terry Gray, and Business Regulation, Elizabeth Dwyer: $135,000 to $165,000.

Under the rules surrounded cabinet level pay increases, the increases will automatically take effect 30 days after the administration sends them to the General Assembly, unless the lawmakers say no.

"It is worth noting that Rhode Island state directors at BHDDH, DBR, DEM and DHS have not received a raise since the start of the previous governor’s administration in 2015," Hart said Monday.

Earlier this year, legislative budget writers gave McKee more time to propose raises for state agency directors.

State law up until that time gave the governor a small window in March of each year to propose and then justify at a public hearing any proposed raises for cabinet members.

A provision in this year's state budget gave the Department of Administration until September to  conduct public hearings on director salaries, and moved the deadline to refer them to the General Assembly to Oct. 30 for this year only.

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Gov. McKee proposes raises for his cabinet to be more competitive