Dear Source,
I, personally, have absolutely no problem with granting the 40 percent increase in salary to the governor and lieutenant governor which, as stated, would have them making more than the governors of most of the states in the union, including Hawaii, Alaska, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Colorado, Vermont, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and others. The raises should come, however, with a few stipulations that must be met to bring these salary increases into effect. We can use the above mentioned states in establishing these stipulations.
If he wants to make more than Hawaii's governor that's okay with me as long as the Virgin Islands can boast the highest annual pay growth along with Hawaii! (This could happen just with increasing his salary by 40%, though!) More than Vermont's governor? Cool!–but only if the VI can rank up there with Vermont at #1 in the rankings for top public education system! He wants a bigger salary than Colorado's governor? Okey-dokey—but we've first got to see the VI ranked around #4, along with Colorado, in Economic Development.
The basis for establishing a 40 percent raise, taking the salaries of other governors into consideration, should be determined by performance! In the "real world" if I want to earn as much as my colleagues I better be just as good–if not better–at my profession than they are.
Sincerely,
Bridget Cox-Dawson
St. Croix, VI
