A new Web site created by the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a Portland-based think-tank, is bound to make more than a few people in Augusta uncomfortable.
MaineOpenGov.org will list the salaries, mileage and overtime paid to 70,000 state, school, university and community college employees. The site will also list the pensions for 21,000 retired state employees. What’s raising the ire of the state employees’ union, however, is that the salaries will be attached to names.
Tim Belcher, the executive director of the Maine State Employees Association, said he found it particularly “offensive” that the salaries of rank-and-file employees would be available with names attached to them.
“There may be a legitimate reason to be naming high-ranking officials by name, but why should a janitor be on the Web site with his name and earnings?” Belcher asked.
While many state employees will understandably find it invasive to have their names and salaries in a database that’s searchable by anyone with Internet access, that kind of transparency is ultimately good for the state and its taxpayers. It will allow taxpayers to see how the largest portion of the budget is being spent.
The site was not available for public viewing early this week, only an announcement saying the site was coming Sept. 24. The Maine site follows similar sites available in New York and Massachusetts.
Among the things people will reportedly be able to learn on the Maine site: The 10 highest paid employees in the state work for the University of Maine system. The site will also reveal that 413 state employees make more than $10,000 in overtime each year.
One employee earned a base pay of $29,524 and overtime of $37,763. That’s an example of why it’s important for this site to allow for transparency at every level of government. To understand how the state’s money is being spent, taxpayers need to see more than what the state’s top officials are making.
Those who work for the government have to relinquish a certain amount of privacy when it comes to their incomes. How they spend that income is up to them, but as long as they are being paid with tax dollars, the public has a right to know who they are and what they make.
Ultimately, greater transparency in government should benefit government officials as well as taxpayers. If the state is being managed well, the public will be able to see that and support it with greater confidence, knowing that information about its finances is readily available.
Taxpayers should use this resource created by the Maine Heritage Policy Center to get informed about how the state is spending their money and go to a member of their local legislative delegation with any suggestions they might have for improvement.
Brendan Moran, editor
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