This is not the year for state lawmakers to look for a raise.
The idea was brought up recently by New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who noted that legislators and commissioners haven't had a pay increase in 13 years.
That certainly is a long period of time for anyone to manage without a raise, when inflation has boosted prices for most everything. But, frankly, the best pay increases are based on merit — and New York legislators, for the most part, haven't earned one.
The Empire Center for New York State Policy reported in 2007 that New York lawmakers received the third-highest base salary in the United States, behind only California and Michigan. That's not unexpected, as New York is one of the most populous states, as well as a focal point of the nation, thanks to New York City.
The annual base pay for the New York Senate and Assembly is $79,500, though many receive more for committee assignments and other duties. For example, Sen. Betty Little, the Queensbury Republican who represents our area, gets an extra $12,500 for chairing the Local Government Committee.
Our opposition to a raise isn't based on our local representation. Little and Assemblywomen Janet Duprey and Teresa Sayward are a hard-working trio of women who usually make decisions with the North Country's best interest at heart.
This is, instead, an indictment of the State Legislature as a whole.
Legislators missed the budget deadline in 2011 for the first time since 2007, when a new law forced an early start for the spending plan. But they had a long history of lateness before that, sometimes causing the disruption of government operation.
The state is now $2 billion in debt. Ethical scandals continue to crop up among legislature members. And the people of New York have lost trust in their elected representatives.
The word "dysfunctional" has been used to describe the legislature so many times over the past decade that it has become a cliché.
The State Legislature needs to redeem itself in the eyes of its constituents before any raise should be considered. That is especially true at a time when many of the residents of this state are coping with financial hardships of their own, including pay cuts and job losses, some prompted by state decisions.
Few members of the public are receiving raises — why should they have to pony up so legislators can take home more in their paychecks? A new Siena College poll of registered voters shows 67 percent of those who responded are opposed to a raise for the State Legislature. Even more — 74 percent — think Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes enough at $179,000 base pay.
Legislator is considered a part-time position, though few who hold it would likely describe it that way. The argument for increasing the pay is that you need a decent salary to attract quality people to a demanding job.
But we want to see the legislature raise its performance before the taxpayers raise its salary.
