Washington Legislature must stop double-dipping by state "pensioners"

More is expected of those who lead our public institutions, especially those who sit atop our colleges and universities.

That is why I am so disappointed with Rich Rutkowski, former president of Green River Community College, and Greg Royer, one of Washington State University's top administrators. Seattle Times reporters Nick Perry and Justin Mayo wrote last week about how these two administrators, and other state employees, are gaming the system to enrich themselves.

Turns out Rutkowski and Royer exploited a loophole in the state's pension system so they could collect their pensions while still working. A nice little trick called double dipping.

We are not talking a small amount of money either. Royer, who is WSU's vice president for business and finance, has a healthy $304,000 salary. His pension tacks on another $105,000. Royer, who retired on Oct. 1, 2003, has collected about $700,000 in retirement benefits since being rehired Nov. 1, 2003.

Rutkowski, who retired for real Thursday, had the comfortable salary of $179,000, backstopped by a $64,000 pension, which he started collecting in 2001 after he was rehired shortly after retiring.

This is not like taking the occasional notepad and pen from the office. This is real money. Taxpayer money. And Rutkowski and Royer are not alone. The Times story said there are about 2,000 double-dipping state employees, costing the state approximately $85 million annually. The Times investigation found some of these rehires happened within weeks and the positions were never advertised. A state employee can only be rehired after a month of retirement.

The problem seemed to slide by in healthy economic times even though it should not have. The Legislature needs to close the double-dipping loophole during the next session, even if that next session is a possible extra session.

Legislators do not have any other choice unless they are not serious about adjusting the state's budget to economic reality. If addressed quickly and aggressively this is low-hanging legislative fruit.

What makes changing the pension rules all the easier for Washington's elected officials is the seeming indifference of Royer and Rutkowski.

Royer was in charge of some serious budget cutting at Wazzu, which resulted in the death of entire programs and hundreds of jobs.

Rutkowski amazingly does not believe what he did was ethically wrong.

"I had served 30 years and consequently was entitled to the pension," he told The Times in last week's story. "And as far as the college was concerned, they needed a president."

"I don't think there are any ethical issues involved, regardless of the fact that it doesn't feel good for many people," Rutkowski said.

He never returned my call to expand on or clarify these statements, which floored me. How does a person charged with molding college students not understand that his actions have set a poor standard and that a pension is a benefit of retirement? This is not something that can be explained away as a mistake or miscalculation. This was a willful exercise of self interest at the expense of the public.

Future and current college student and employees are hurt when well compensated college and university leaders work the system for their personal benefit at a time when higher education is struggling for shrinking state dollars

Rutkowski, Royer and the other double dippers have weakened higher education's cause in Olympia. That is something the sate cannot afford.

Ryan Blethen's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. His e-mail address is: rblethen@seattletimes.com