Many Arizonans are up in arms over a tentative proposal by their part-time state legislators to double their pay.
The 100% increase almost makes Hawaii’s recent 64% pay raises for part-time Honolulu City Council members, 62% for part-time Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees and a proposed 44% for part-time state legislators seem like small potatoes.
Except the Arizona raises are from $24,000 to $48,000 — after no raises for 27 years, according to Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts.
“Not bad for a part-time gig,” commented Roberts.
If $48,000 isn’t bad money, what would that make $113,304 for the Honolulu Council, $91,560 for OHA and $114,348 for Hawaii legislators? Rapacious greed?
Arizona’s legislature has a similar number of representatives and senators as Hawaii’s, and its annual session is of similar length.
Arizona requires legislative raises to be approved by voters. In Hawaii a salary commission appointed mostly by legislators recommends raises for legislators, executives and judges that take effect automatically unless legislators vote them down.
Arizona legislators last got raises in 1998 from $15,000 to $24,000, with the caveat they give up lucrative per diems the chairman of the salary committee likened to pirates’ loot.
After lawmakers weaseled out of forgoing the per diems, voters have rejected every pay raise since.
Brings to mind how Council Chair Tommy Waters and Vice Chair Esther Kia‘aina reneged on promises to push for banning outside employment by Council members after they got the 64% raise.
Hawaii’s Legislature has made a habit of taking outsize pay raises at inopportune times.
They took 33% in the middle of the Great Recession when other state employees faced furloughs, and another 25% a few years later.
Now they appear inclined to accept a Salary Commission recommendation of 32% raises in 2026 and 44% over five years.
This just as the state Council on Revenue warns of economic pain and severe state budget shortfalls as a result of radical federal spending cuts.
Legislative raises are tied to those of state administrators and judges; if legislators reject theirs, increases of up to 32% for administrators and judges die as well.
Gov. Josh Green, who’s been admirably undisturbed that he’s paid less than Honolulu’s mayor and pushed for smaller raises before the Salary Commission, says he and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke won’t accept 15% raises proposed for them over the next two years.
“Elected officials should make sure we are very careful to be respectful of what people are going through,” he said. “A lot of people are hurting, and it’s OK if state legislators and the lieutenant governor and the governor don’t have pay increases that exceed anything that’s normal. If they’re hurting, then I should hurt, too.”
Legislators claim they deserve more because they’re effectively full time, which is simply untrue as long as they’re free to engage in unlimited outside employment.
They also claim higher pay will attract more and better candidates, but in the first Council election after the 64% raise, all four incumbents were either unopposed or faced light competition.
As Roberts put it in the Arizona Republic, “It’ll be the same old suspects — just in better suits.”
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
