AG, treasurer temporarily turn down pay raises
Attorney General Maura Healey and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, two of the statewide elected officials due significant pay raises under a bill that became law Thursday, announced shortly after lawmakers overrode Gov. Charlie Baker's veto that they both would be turning down the money for at least the next two years.
“The Attorney General’s salary is set by the Legislature and the AG respects their authority. However, she was opposed to this increase when it was first proposed two years ago, and will not accept the increase for the remainder of her term,” Healey spokeswoman Jillian Fennimore said in a statement.
An aide to Goldberg similarly emailed minutes after the final vote to say the treasurer would not be accepting the pay raise, which would bring her salary from about $136,000 to $175,000 a year.
Both Healey and Goldberg have been silent for the past two weeks on whether they would accept the pay raise, deflecting questions and criticism from the Massachusetts Republican Party by saying they would make a decision if and when the bill written by top House and Senate Democrats became law.
The attorney general's salary under the bill will climb from $136,053 to $175,000, but Healey will forego the pay bump until at least after 2018 when she is up for re-election. Healey's domestic partner, Appeals Court Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian, also stands to receive a $25,000 raise earmarked in the bill for all judges boosting her pay from $165,087 to $190,087.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito also plan to turn down raises authorized by the bill, while Auditor Suzanne Bump has said she will accept the increase from $140,607 to $165,000 a year, and Secretary of State William Galvin said the size of his raise - a $28,598 bump to $165,000 - "doesn't trouble me."
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