Figures, the third highest paid legislature in the country and a pay raise is how Spitzer will heal the self inflicted wounds. We pay, we always pay for their ineptness, their dysfunction and their inability to get any thing done that will actually benefit us VS them. Maybe they just want to move up to first place with their salaries.

Spitzer Is Said to Agree to a Raise for Legislators - New York Times

ALBANY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer has agreed to a pay raise for legislators, even as he has called for cuts elsewhere to help close a $4.4 billion deficit, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has told Assembly Democrats.

Mr. Silver passed the word to the legislators at a private meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday as the governor unveiled his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

Mr. Spitzer’s budget called only for raises for state judges, but Mr. Silver told lawmakers the governor would send a bill to the Legislature by the end of next month that included raises for senators and Assembly members, according to several legislators who were present. Mr. Silver’s staff members disputed only the timing, saying the speaker was hopeful but not certain the governor would make his proposal by next month.

It was not known how large the raise would be. Mr. Silver has previously proposed a 21 percent increase, and Mr. Spitzer’s budget proposed a 24 percent increase for judges.

The pay for the state’s 212 legislators is now the third-highest in the nation. Their base salary is $79,500, but they can earn more than $100,000 with various bonuses for committee or leadership posts. Their pay has not been increased since 1999.

Mr. Spitzer’s move underscores the degree to which the once reform-focused governor is taking a more accommodating approach this year after spending much of last year mired in controversy.

Asked about the pay raise late Wednesday, Jeffrey Gordon, a spokesman for the administration, spoke of the plan only generally: “The governor has publicly expressed his hope that this matter can be resolved and said that he looks forward to working with the leaders on this issue.”

Mr. Silver said in an interview Wednesday that he did not know how the raise would be structured and would not say whether the governor was seeking support for any part of his agenda in return, but he did say the governor also wanted to raise the pay of state commissioners. For much of last year, the governor sought legislative approval for his proposal to overhaul campaign finance laws in exchange for his support of a pay raise.

Mr. Spitzer’s offer could create a tricky situation for lawmakers, and the move could reflect a bit of political gamesmanship by the governor.

Since Republicans hold just a two-seat edge in the Senate in an election year when an energized Democratic turnout is widely expected, they may be reluctant to approve a raise for themselves that could turn into a campaign issue for their challengers.

Democrats hold so large a majority in the Assembly — 108 to 42 — that they have no such concerns. On the other hand, relatively few Senate races are likely to be hotly contested, so a majority of the senators might find it hard to pass up a pay raise. They could avoid a reaction at the polls by scheduling a vote on the measure after the November election.
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