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Monday, February 21, 2022

Money IS on the table. Why not be open and up-front about that being a dimension of things? Circumspection = good manners, or something else?

 This is not about the person being reported. It is about the report.

Absent from the report:

1. From here, data = legislative service compensation:

Minnesota annual salary = $46,500 per year

 plus

57.5/mile. One round trip per week. Tied to federal rate.

For senators: $86/day. For representatives: $66/day.

2.  From here, data = Wash. Cnty. Board compensation:

 The five board members will be voting on a 2.5 percent increase for themselves, which would bring their salaries to $70,725 for 2020. The commissioners in May passed a policy to set commissioner salary increases “at the same amount of general adjustment given to give county employees represented by bargaining units,” said Molly O’Rourke, county administrator.

The commissioners last year increased their pay by 30.9 percent — to $69,000 — after going nearly a decade without a raise.

Commissioners are reimbursed for mileage and other county-related expenses and receive an annual $750 technology and equipment stipend “to ensure they can receive board-agenda packets electronically and access county email and calendars,” O’Rourke said. “It’s less costly than printing and mailing the information and assures they get information more quickly.”

They also receive the same county-paid medical-insurance premium, flexible medical-credit amount, life insurance and long-term disability coverage as the county’s elected department heads.

If money and the benefits package is not deemed a report-worthy fact as a factor with regard to how one might choose to seek or exchange one job for the other, or for other editorial reasons is not included in a media outlet's report, is the public being fairly served by the reporting?

__________UPDATE_________

Another way to view the question, who in your reader's judgment has the better job in terms of burdens of doing the job, and pay for doing it - Anoka County Board member Robin West, or her son, Nolan? Readers are urged to guess, would those two swap jobs? Would you?