Originally published Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Gregoire's office budget shot up
The governor's office budget has more than doubled under Christine Gregoire, to about $73 million for the 2007-09 biennium.
Few state offices have seen their budgets grow as much as the one closest to the governor.
Her own.
The governor's-office budget has more than doubled under Gregoire, to about $73 million for the 2007-09 biennium.
A large chunk of the increase is from existing programs moved by the Legislature into her office, and money that simply passes through on its way to another agency.
By next year, Gregoire's office and the Office of Financial Management together will have about 385 full-time positions. That's an increase of about 80 people — or 27 percent — since 2004. OFM is considered part of the governor's office and prepares her budget proposal each year.
Gregoire's office said the growth comes from a combination of jobs added by the state Legislature and programs created by the governor.
The Legislature added about 13 positions to the governor's office to handle duties that include an education ombudsman and facilities management. The governor created another 15 positions for a program that looks at ways to improve performance of state agencies.
Many other jobs were added when work that had been done in other state agencies was consolidated in the governor's office.
In addition, Gregoire gave double-digit pay increases to most of her top staff.
For example, the salary for the director of the governor's budget office has increased 24 percent since former Gov. Gary Locke left office, to $163,056. And pay for the Department of Corrections secretary is up 28 percent, to $147,000.
The governor's office has said it needed to raise salaries to attract and retain the best people to run state agencies.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
Illegal workers quietly let go
Metro won't cut bus service after all
Jerry Large: Food-bank theft turns into a gift
Bumper to Bumper: How can the city let bridges go dark?

PNW Magazine | Easy As Pie
A little friendly competition between professional pie-baker Kate McDermott and The Seatttle Times' Kathleen Triesch Saul is handled with great taste.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
374 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
210 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
171 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
156 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
98 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
95 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
83 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
82 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
74 - Seattle woman charged with knife attack on boyfriend's ex
66
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit





