LANSING (Michigan News Source) – Amidst waiting for court approval for a redrawn House legislative map, the Michigan Citizen’s Redistricting Commission voted to give itself a 40% raise in salary.
What’s the breakdown?
On Thursday, the MICRC voted 9-4 to raise the nearly $40,000 annual income to 35% of the governor’s salary, or $55,755 a year. When founded in 2020, the group’s initial base pay was set at equal to 25% of the governor’s salary.
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The vote also will apply retroactively to the commission to apply to Jan. 15 to March 3, when the commission convened to address a court ordered redrawing of district maps that it determined had violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
Commissioner expresses concerns for the salary increase.
Commissioner Rebecca Szetela, an independent member, opposed the proposal, sharing that the commission had already spent more than 50% of its budget, only four months into the current fiscal year.
“Rather than kind of checking what we’re spending money on, we’re proposing raising our costs by raising salaries,” Szetela said at the Thursday virtual meeting. “That just seems extremely irresponsible from a fiscal perspective.”
Special Master confirms validity of new district map.
Recently a special master, Benard Grofman, sent notice to the court that the new MICRC submitted map, “Motown Sound FC E1” was valid.
“There are always multiple ways in which maps can be drawn,” Grofman said. “I did not identify major flaws with the (Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission) map that would suggest it failed to address the race-related constitution concerns of the court.”
The commission continues to wait and prepare for the future.
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The MICRC now awaits the court’s decision, which will be made by March 29, either accepting the maps or a separate map made by the special master. The final map will be used for the upcoming House primary and general elections later this year.
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