Posted on: Tuesday, September 3, 2002

Tourism boss pay level suggests wider review

A few eyebrows undoubtedly shot up when it was revealed that the new executive director of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority will be paid $240,000 a year.

Whether the new director, Rex Johnson, has earned that kind of pay is a decision the board of the authority will make in due time.

But the amount Johnson will get for running what is, in effect, a rather small Cabinet-level operation with a relatively small budget puts in stark relief the pay offered to other top-level state officials.

While managing the organization that oversees promotion of tourism is important, the task pales in importance or in size with — say — superintendent of education. The current superintendent, Pat Hamamoto, makes $150,000 a year. Her predecessor made just over $90,000.

Or, in another example, take the director of the Department of Health, with sweeping responsibilities ranging from public health to environmental protection and more. The director of health makes the standard director's salary of $90,041 a year.

It is understood that people take on an assignment in public service for more than the money. And you don't hear Cabinet officers and other top-level state officials complaining about their pay (at least, not publicly).

But salary plans such as that offered by the state's Tourism Authority as well as generous pay packages offered to other highly-sought-after officials such as university president and UH football coach should force a re-evaluation of the pay we give to our hard-working officials on the front lines day after day.