Dramatic rise seen in DOA salaries
by Stephen Largen - News Star (excerpt)

Amidst a billion-dollar shortfall for the next fiscal year, the ranks of high-priced employees in Gov. Bobby Jindal's Division of Administration are swelling. Under former Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the number of employees in the Division of Administration making $80,000 or more per year stood at 108 on Dec. 1, 2007. Total payroll for those employees was $10,816,484. As of last month, Jindal's DOA had 177 employees making $80,000 or more per year. Total payroll for those employees was $17,667,456.

Michael DiResto, the spokesman for the DOA, says the number of high-paid employees has grown because of the DOA taking on Louisiana Recovery Authority employees and other employees for one-time projects. DiResto said the DOA has been vigilantly cost cutting during the past several years, eliminating 79 positions since 2008 and identifying privatization efforts where possible.

Jindal's spokesman Kyle Plotkin said the governor has a clear record of cost cutting. "The reality is that the majority of these hires are related to disaster recovery so they are temporary workers and are paid for with federal funds," Plotkin said. "Our record is clear, though. Since Gov. Jindal entered office, he's instituted three state hiring freezes that have saved more than $95 million to date. The budget for the upcoming fiscal year calls for reducing the number of full time, appropriated positions in the executive branch by 2,976. We've already eliminated 3,326 full-time positions through budgetary actions in fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010. That means by the time this new budget is adopted, Governor Jindal will have eliminated more than 6,300 full time appropriated positions."