Gessler Says Moonlighting Plans May Be Derailed
DENVER (AP) - Colorado's secretary of state said a law firm where he planned to moonlight while in office is uneasy about releasing the names of its clients, a suggestion made to stem concerns over possible preferential treatment from him.
The disclosure of his clients at Hackstaff Law Group could mean that Scott Gessler "may not be doing any of this at all," he told The Denver Post.
His spokesman, Rich Coolidge, said some clients may not want Gessler's services if their names are disclosed, which effectively could derail the secretary's plans to augment his $68,500 annual salary.
Gessler said he planned to work about 20 hours a month at the firm, which is regularly involved in cases before the secretary of state's office.
He has asked Attorney General John Suthers to review the matter and has called on revisiting an idea for a citizens commission to suggest pay increases for elected state officials, who haven't received a raise in nearly 12 years.
Gov. John Hickenlooper took a pay cut of more than $55,000 when he went from mayor of Denver to governor of Colorado this month, with his salary dropping from $145,601 per year to $90,000.
Colorado's top elected officials rank near the bottom nationwide in pay, with only Arkansas and Maine paying its governors less, according to the Council of State Governments.
Colorado also ranks 48th for pay for the posts of secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer.
"You do this job not because of a level of compensation, but out of love" said Hickenlooper, who made millions in the restaurant industry before running for office.
With the state facing a $1.1 billion budget shortfall next year, sentiment for raising salaries is running low.
Former Sen. Dick Mutzebaugh, a Highlands Ranch Republican, who in the late 1990s sponsored the last bill to raise salaries, suggested the salaries need to be raised again.
"Not this year, the economy's too bad. But maybe next year, with the raises becoming effective after the governor's race in 2014," he said. "The salaries right now are just crazy, they're so low."
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