NC Cabinet members get salary bump from McCrory

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 11, 2013

RALEIGH (AP) — Cabinet secretaries in North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration are getting salary bumps thanks to latitude from the Legislature.

Among them are former Salisbury mayor Susan Kluttz, who will make $128,000 a year as the state’s secretary of cultural resources.

McCrory’s office said secretaries in four of the eight Cabinet departments will receive $128,000 annually and three other departments are getting $135,000. An eighth secretary — Aldona Wos (vosh) in health and human services — is taking a $1 salary.

Legislators had set secretary salaries in Gov. Beverly Perdue’s administration at just under $122,000 but last summer gave her successor the ability to set compensation. Departments were on their own to locate funds for the higher pay.

McCrory spokesman Chris Walker said Thursday the governor wanted modest pay increases to attract talent needed to run large departments.

The Legislature didn’t change the governor’s salary. It’s still $141,265.

Other Rowan County residents serving in McCrory’s administration are Tony Almeida and Fred Steen.

Almeida, appointed senior adviser to the governor for jobs and the economy, is a former Duke Energy executive. Steen served in the N.C. House of Representatives and is a former Landis mayor.

Their salaries weren’t available Thursday.