Pay raise for elected officials

Below are the new raises legislators in the House voted on yesterday. The bill narrowly passed the House and now goes to the Senate.

From the Sun Herald:

With the raise, the speaker of the House and lieutenant governor would get $90,000 a year in addition to the compensation they get for being in the Legislature.

Legislators' pay would rise from $10,000 a year to $15,000, in addition to mileage and other compensation. Per diem for lawmakers would also be raised to $75 per day, and they would now receive $2,500 per month when the legislature is not in session, up from $1,500.

Among the other raises:
• Governor - $152,000, up from $122,160.
• Attorney general - $140,000, up from $108,960.
• Secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, insurance commissioner and agriculture commissioner - $120,000, up from $90,000.
• Transportation commissioners and public service commissioners - $108,000, up from $78,000.

Chaney taking office early

Incoming Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney will be taking over a few days early as George Dale prepares to resign on Dec. 31.

Dale is leaving early to take a mystery job. What kind of job would not let an elected official finish out 10 more days?

We'll have to wait and see... (on clarionledger.com):

Dale said Wednesday he was taking another job, which is part of the reason he was resigning early, but he would not say what it was.

“The place where I’m going to be going will be doing the announcing for me,” Dale said.

Any guesses?