A state senator working on a bill that would raise the salaries for the governor and the rest of the executive branch said it's unfortunate the issue might be linked to a recent brouhaha over gun legislation and raising pay for county sheriffs.

"They really are two different issues," said Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver. "However, there is this whole perception of whether it's ever popular or possible to talk about elected officials' salaries. I'm willing to have that conversation. I think somebody needs to stand up to it."

Steadman has the backing of Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican who is term-limited in 2014 and so wouldn't benefit from having the pay increased. The salary now is $80,000.

"It's way out of whack," Suthers said. "It really, really needs to be raised. There's no reason why it shouldn't be."

He pointed out he makes $50,000 less than district attorneys in Colorado's smallest districts, and $30,000 less than sheriffs in the state's largest counties, who have been advocating for a pay increase.

The salaries for the executive branch have been the same since 1999. The governor makes $90,000, the attorney general $80,000 and the lieutenant governor, state treasurer and secretary of state each receive $68,500.

Steadman said he still is looking at tying the salaries to pay for the judicial branch. The chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court receives $142,708, and the chief judge of the Court of Appeals receives $137,201.


The state constitution prevents an elected official's salary from being raised or lowered while that person is in office, but Steadman said he is designing his bill so only the new attorney general in 2015 would receive a raise. The other pay increases would go into effect in 2019.

"I told Sen. Steadman I thought that was unfair," Suthers said. "Anybody who goes through the gantlet (of running an election) should get a raise, but they said it was the only condition in which they would run the bill."

Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, said he's not sure he would support Steadman's bill. He's already on record saying he doesn't see the need for raises for sheriffs "at this point in our economy."

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa claimed last week that the Democratic leadership at the Capitol threatened to withhold a bill to increase the sheriffs' pay because they didn't support the Democrats' gun bills, but e-mails he released don't back up his claim.

Morse, who said the charge was false, pointed out not a single Republican legislator has been willing to sign onto a bill increasing pay for county elected officials.