Gold badge indeed: Sheriffs reap windfall
Budget contains big bump; tax relief still left out
Nantucket Sheriff Jim Perelman is about to hit the lottery, thanks to the state lawmakers.
The island police boss, running for a third term, will see his annual pay jump from $108,800 to $195,000 — if the House budget is adopted.
The state Comptroller’s office lists his salary a bit higher than the $105,951 tally in the Herald’s annual payroll database. But he is among the 14 sheriffs in Massachusetts in line for hefty raises that will boost base pay to just shy of double six-figures.
Perelman was “not available” and did not return a call left by the Herald Friday.
An office staffer did say Nantucket does not have a jail, unlike the other sheriffs, and must transport offenders on the “fast ferry” because the “seats are too close” while handcuffed on a plane. If the ferry is not running, prisoners are kept in the police department jail until the seas calm down.
State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, confirming the pay hike Friday, lashed out at the lack of debate and consideration of tax breaks over pay hikes.
“The budget ‘process’ over the past few days was an abysmal display of Democracy. It really shined light on just how undemocratic the Massachusetts House has become,” Boldyga said.
The Southwick Republican added: “It’s astounding that Democratic leaders eagerly handed out salary increases to some of the state’s highest-paid government employees. But didn’t believe offering tax relief or keeping the cost of prescription medicine down for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable was worth their time.”
He called on the Legislature, dominated by Democrats, to “get their priorities straight. There are people across the commonwealth who can barely make ends meet, if at all.”
He said the “windfall of extra revenue” should have been “focused on those that need it most. Instead, energy went into trying to hide pay raises in the budget for top earners and prevent debate on it.”
The unanimous approval of the budget in the House this past week came after lawmaker rejected a series of proposals by Boldyga mirroring $700 million in tax cuts pushed by Gov. Charlie Baker, but currently stuck in committee.
The House also rejected a proposal to temporarily suspend the state’s gas tax in response to soaring prices at the pump.
State lawmakers passed a budget that ballooned to $49.7 billion.
The House’s budget, originally proposed at $130 million less than what was eventually approved, must now be squared with the Senate’s budget. That chamber will debate its version of the spending package in May.
House lawmakers approved an increase in state spending by more than 4%, or $2.1 billion, above last year and about $1.5 billion more than Gov. Charlie Baker proposed.