(Governor’s Council) Nearly 40 percent pay hike eyed for part-timer

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/07/nearly_40_percent_pay_hike_eyed_for_part_timers



Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney

Nearly 40 percent pay hike eyed for part-timer
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Matt Stout

The eight members of the obscure Governor’s Council — the part-time Colonial era panel whose main duty is to approve judges and Parole Board members — have quietly scored a $10,000 pay bump under the proposed state budget, sparking new cries to abolish the ancient body once and for all.

The measure, first pushed in the House and tucked into the $38.1 billion budget agreement the legislature sent to Gov. Charlie Baker, would mark a nearly 40 percent hike in the councilors’ pay. It calls for two raises, the second coming on Jan. 1, that would push their current $26,025 salary to $36,025.

“It’s more of an issue of if we actually need people in that position ... whether they get paid a dollar or $50,000,” said former state Sen. Barry Finegold, an Andover Democrat who helped lead one of the several failed attempts to shutter the council. “It’s nothing against the people who serve there. But the system has had its day.”

The council meets once a week and is largely charged with approving the governor’s judicial appointments and nominations such as for the Parole Board. But it has a history of bickering and sometimes odd questioning, and, critics note, Massachusetts is one of only two states — New Hampshire being the other — that even has one.