Gonzalez blasts Baker for quasi-public agency pay hikes
One of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Democratic opponents blasted the reform-touting Republican yesterday for allowing “runaway salaries and bonuses” at quasi-public agencies after a Herald review detailed more than $40,000 in pay hikes at several agencies.
“I was shocked to see that Baker has been letting this happen,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez, former budget chief for Gov. Deval Patrick. Gonzalez helped investigate compensation at the entities, which are often under-scrutinized.
“What we discovered was this practice of runaway salaries and bonuses and compensation packages for the heads of all these quasi-agencies across Massachusetts,” Gonzalez said, adding that under Patrick, he created reforms meant to keep tighter control of the entities.
Baker dismissed the mushrooming payouts at the agencies detailed by the Herald yesterday, despite state records indicating tens of thousands of dollars in hikes.
“I read the story and I think there was one where the pay had gone up by a significant amount and he’s been in that job for a significant time” Baker said. “Several others went down and over the course of our time in office, the state bureaucracy has dropped dramatically.”
Quasi-public agencies are state-established entities that provide public services — like bus and subway transportation or doling out college loans. They receive some state support but mainly operate independently, overseen by board members made up of political insiders appointed by the governor.
Compensation for the head of the Massachusetts Education Finance Authority increased by $45,000 since Baker took office in 2015, according to state comptroller records. Salaries and bonuses for Massport’s executive director, meanwhile, increased by $35,000 and the annual payout for the head of the Health Connector Authority swelled by $43,000, state records show.
“The problem with Baker allowing this to get out of hand again is it impacts people’s credibility in government,” Gonzalez said.
“When the public sees people like Gov. Baker allowing leaders at all these different quasi-public agencies to be ramping up their salaries and bonuses and compensation packages it erodes that integrity and the credibility of government,” Gonzalez said.