Letter to the Editor: 'Outrageous Pay Raise

To the Editor,

I was disappointed but not surprised to see that our State Representative Michael Day voted for the outrageous pay raises for legislators and other state officials which is estimated to cost Massachusetts taxpayers $18 million dollars this year plus untold additional expenses over many years as it grossly fattens the lifetime pensions of officer holders. Mr. Day has proven himself to be a reliable "yes" man for the legislative leadership which is expert at fleecing taxpayers to feather its own nest.

The pay raises would make Massachusetts legislators among the highest paid in the nation for a job which is clearly part time for many legislators like Mr. Day who somehow manages to operate a law firm while at the same time collecting a full time salary as a state representative. It's bad enough that legislators have voted themselves a pay raise at a time when budget-watchers are predicting as much as a $615 million deficit in the state budget, but they have sneakily used the constitutional exclusion of judges’ compensation as a way to avoid a referendum question as the leadership has also found a way to circumvent the state’s conflict of interest law which bars lawmakers from voting on any bill in which they have a direct financial interest. The proposed raises are actually increases in the stipends received by dozens of members of the legislative leadership in both the House and Senate, both Democrats and Republicans. But House Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Rosenberg have held off making those appointments in the newly elected Legislature to allow all the 198 other lawmakers the legal ability to vote for the raises.

All 35 House Republicans voted against the pay raises, but were joined by only 9 Democrats who bucked their leadership to vote against the pay raises. Mr. Day was not among them. We need a State Representative who will vote with the people not for the legislative leadership.

Vicki Krikorian

41 Arlington Street

Winchester