Dayton: Salary hikes for cabinet are ‘important’

Gov. Dayton is once again defending his decision to give commissioners and agency heads a pay raise. All told, Dayton raised the pay of his cabinet members $802,000 in January.

His decision was met with harsh criticism from Republicans in the Minnesota House who say many of Dayton’s commissioners were already making six-figure salaries. They called the decision “outrageous.”

But in a letter to legislative leaders, Dayton said the pay hikes were needed to attract talented workers. He said many commissioners oversee staff and budgets that are much larger than private sector managers, yet they earn less.

“Mid-level managers at many Minnesota companies earn more than my commissioners, who manage larger budgets and more employees,” Dayton wrote in the letter.

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For example, Dayton said Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius oversees state education policy and 332 schools yet makes less than many local school superintendants. He also said Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson oversees a biennial budget of $35 billion. He praised Jesson for saving the state $1 billion by creating a competitive bidding system for health care programs.

“Outstanding executive leadership is worth much more than it costs,” Dayton wrote.

Dayton said his commissioners never asked for a raise, but he felt it was important to raise their pay. In 2013, the Legislature passed a law that increased salaries for commissioner and other agency heads. The law change came after a commissioner recommended the pay hike.

House State Government Finance Chair Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, says she intends to hold hearings this week on the pay hikes.

Here’s Dayton’s letter: