INDIANAPOLIS – The majority of new agency heads in Gov. Mike Pence’s administration will make substantially similar salaries to their predecessors – with a few notable exceptions.
When comparing the salaries of 27 key administration members with similar positions under former Gov. Mitch Daniels, 18 remained the same. Many of those people stayed on in their current positions.
The pay for five positions increased and three dropped. One other – the Commerce Secretary – was an additional position.
The Journal Gazette sought the salary information from Pence’s office several weeks ago but it was not immediately released. The state Auditor provided the data Monday. A few positions still have not been processed through the system, including the recently tapped Family and Social Services Administration secretary.
The two largest increases belong to Pence’s chief of staff and the head of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Chief of Staff Bill Smith will make $125,000 – up from the nearly $99,000 that Daniels’ chief made.
John Hill, the new homeland security head, will earn $135,000. His predecessor, Joe Wainscott, made a little more than $103,000.
The other increases were much smaller.
Press Secretary Kara Brooks said Hill and Smith, “offer many years of experience relative to their position and market value. The salaries are appropriate for their expertise, knowledge and caliber.”
Brooks herself is making $80,000 – one of the few salaries to drop. Daniels’ Press Secretary Jane Jankowski made more than $100,000.
But the three primary members of Pence’s media team collectively make about the same as the Daniels press team – just under $200,000.
The new Commerce Secretary, Victor Smith, is making $151,000. His colleague Eric Doden – chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation – has a salary of $149,000.
Under Daniels’ administration, those two positions were combined as one post making $150,000.
One other interesting salary was for the new head of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget – Chris Atkins. He is making $126,000 – the same predecessor Adam Horst made when he left state employment after eight years of service.
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