Gerard Matthews will have a full report later, but it sounds like the legislature’s lottery oversight committee signed off on Director Ernie Passailaigue’s budget and pay proposals. Sen. Johnny Key had some sharp questioning of some flaws in details and the sole “no” vote.
The big pay for top assistants drew little objection. I note Capsearch Twitter posts that quote House Speaker Robbie Wills thusly:
* Wills says he wants Arkansans to understand why lottery staff earns handsome salaries: big bucks for education.
* Wills uses football analogy and says Arkansasans pay football coaches (and assistants) a lot and understand what they pay for.
Some thoughts. 1) At the highest level, paying big bucks for experienced workers who can hit the ground running has some justification. It has no justification for people who answer phones and do the dozens of jobs for which specific lottery experience is not a requirement, or much of one. 2) It is simply wrong to link state government pay to revenue production. 3) Some people, believe it or not Speaker Wills, DON’T understand football staff pay Or six-figure pay for lottery functionaries. It is a blood insult to thousands of state employees who do more important work to suggest lottery employees deserve more money simply because it’s easy to get people to gamble.
BY THE WAY: Ernie P. was heard to comment about “negative” media. That will all go away when the scholarship money rolls in, he says.