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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Luna Cash Bonanza Embarrassing

It’s raining cash in the office of the Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction! Office holder Tom Luna has just a few months left in his term, and he has spared no expense this year in showing his top staffers just how much he appreciates them! If money talks, it’s shouting out a whole lot of appreciation, folks. Just how much? Consider:

  • His former deputy chief of staff got a raise from $44.40 per hour to $65.23 per hour — that’s a 47 percent raise.
  • His former communications director was making $36 per hour, but that was bumped up to $49.54 an hour — a 37 percent raise.

This in a year that Gov. Butch Otter recommended no funding at all for state employee raises, but lawmakers graciously decided to give them a 2 percent raise in the 2014 session earlier this year — 1 percent permanent, the other 1 percent one-time. But wait, there’s more! A whole lot more!/Idaho Press Tribune Editorial Board. More here.

Question: I consider Luna to be among the 4 Republican executive office holders or candidates who should be considered an embarrassment to the Idaho Republican Party. The other three? Supt candidate Sherri Ybarra, Secretary of State candidate Lawerence Denney  and Treasurer Ron Crane. Thoughts?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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