Gov. Janet Napolitano was recently given an opportunity to make more money, and she has thus far respectfully declined. (See page 6 for the story).
If she decides to accept the raise, we think most Arizonans would likely approve. And it certainly would be understandable, as her $95,000 salary hasn't been changed since 1999, and she has consistently made decisions that improve the welfare of Arizonans.
We applaud the governor for her actions. She was offered a $65,000 raise, but said she was happy with her salary.
Napolitano also said the state should work on raising the average pay of Arizona workers before it raises the governor's salary.
Meanwhile, ASU President Michael Crow's salary of nearly $500,000 also was recently under review by the Arizona Board of Regents. The board has not released the results of the review, but it is likely that his salary will increase, as it has not been adjusted since his inauguration in 2002.
Crow and Napolitano have been in office for the same amount of time, and both have been successful in their respective roles.
However, the president of ASU makes five times more than the governor of the state of Arizona. Does that seem right?
Crow's jurisdiction covers one university of about 50,000 people. Napolitano, on the other hand, leads a state of nearly six million.
Crow is one of the highest-paid university presidents in the nation, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Napolitano's salary ranks 35th in the nation, according to the Associated Press.
Voters don't have much of a say in the governor's salary, and students have even less say in Crow's salary. Most students resent him for implementing one of the largest tuition increases in history. If students had a say, Crow would probably share a flooded room in Adelphi Commons and be forced to eat on campus with a crummy meal plan.
While we probably wouldn't go that far, we feel that Crow's salary is sufficient for now. Maybe in another two years an increase would be more appropriate.
Until then, we hope that Crow displays the same discretion and humility as Napolitano. By declining a well-deserved pay-raise, Napolitano shows she is a leader of the people and wants to put their needs first.
Crow would be wise to do the same, and offer to put the money toward scholarships or increased faculty pay, since most professors have to moonlight begging on Mill Avenue.
However, if Crow does accept a raise in salary, don't expect us to raise an eyebrow.
