ST. PAUL, MN— Rep. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, issued the following statement after it was reported Gov. Mark Dayton issued potentially unauthorized taxpayer-funded severance payments, awarding nearly $80,000 to state employees who voluntarily departed.
“This is unbelievable,” Howe said. “Only our governor would think it is a good idea to hand someone who is voluntarily leaving a position that pays well over six figures tens of thousands of dollars as a resignation bonus. These are some of the same people the governor gave huge raises to last year. Now they decided to leave state employment and the taxpayers give them a huge bonus. This is the definition of taxpayer abuse and the governor needs to be held accountable for these wasteful favors he is paying to his political appointees.
“We need to know what account this money came from and who is not getting properly funded. This money could have funded preschool scholarships, helped students pay for college or paid the heat for low income people this winter. What make this more outrageous is that in 1993, then-State Auditor Dayton took the mayor of Duluth to task for giving a severance payment to a city employee. I do not believe the governor has the authority to give out these huge bonuses.”
The most generous severance agreement, awarded to a former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, came on the heels of massive taxpayer-funded pay increases authorized by Dayton, just before the Legislature ended that practice. This commissioner was previously a top staffer on Dayton's campaign for governor in the 2010 election. She received over $60,000 between the raise and the severance payout in the last year or so, over and above her strong six-figure annual salary.
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