Maine governor, lawmakers and judges could soon get a raise
Maine’s minimum-wage earners may not be the only ones who get a raise in 2020 — Gov. Janet Mills could see her paycheck nearly double.
That’s the advice of an independent commission formed by the state Legislature to review compensation for Maine's governor, lawmakers and judges.
In a draft report released earlier this month, the State Compensation Commission recommends increasing the Maine governor’s annual salary from $70,000 — the lowest in the nation — to $130,000.
The raise would bring the salary in line with that of neighboring New Hampshire, which currently pays the second-lowest salary, and would be the first change in Maine’s gubernatorial pay since 1987.
The commission also recommends increasing the governor’s annual expense account from $30,000, an amount unchanged since at least 1999, to $50,000.
The changes are appropriate given the pace of inflation over the years and Maine’s current median household income, the five-member commission said in its report. The new compensation also “more accurately reflects the esteem and value of the position,” according to the report.
The commission noted that money isn’t the chief reward for Maine governors.
“Salary is not the primary reason Mainers have run for governor, and we would not expect the pool of interested candidates to change if the salary were doubled,” the report read. “Yet everyone we spoke with agreed that the governor’s salary, last in the nation, is too low.”
The commission based its recommendations on a series of six public meetings earlier this year and a public hearing held Dec 16.
In addition, the commission is recommending raises for legislators from $25,000 per two-year term to $32,000, as well as increases in travel reimbursement. Judicial salaries, which also rank as the lowest in the nation, would be increased to $150,000 for district and superior court judges, $169,000 for members of the Supreme Judicial Court, and $184,000 for the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.
The Legislature is expected to take up the proposed compensation changes when it convenes in January.
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