No spin: State public-relations jobs, cost rise sharply under Gov. Doug Ducey

Craig Harris
The Republic | azcentral.com
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey shakes hands after giving his State of the State speech at the Capitol in Phoenix on Jan. 8, 2018.

Gov. Doug Ducey has boasted about cutting the size of government, but the number of state public-relations jobs and the cost to promote his agenda have significantly grown during his administration, records obtained by The Arizona Republic show.

The number of senior-level public-information officers has increased by 24 percent to 57 since 2014, the final year of fellow Republican Gov. Jan Brewer's administration.

The annual cost of those spokespeople has increased 29 percent, to nearly $4.2 million.

The nearly $1 million in additional pay for 11 more public-information officers — who issue news releases, organize press conferences, write speeches and otherwise hone officials' and agencies' "messaging" — is a tiny fraction of Ducey's $10.1 billion proposed budget.

But the governor's willingness to spend additional tax dollars and hire more people to get his message out takes on greater significance coming at a time when Ducey has emphasized making government more efficient with fewer public employees.

In some cases, spokespeople working for the Ducey administration received raises in excess of 25 percent or four times the rate of inflation compared with the same position under Brewer, records show.

Bob Grossfeld, a spokesman for the Arizona AFL-CIO, said the additional tax dollars should have gone to public education.

"There are real needs and they are raising the number of people who are supposed to talk to the media?" said Grossfeld, whose union represents 185,000 members. "It doesn't make sense …The governor is handing out $1 million more in pay for PR. That is insane."

Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, agreed.

"The governor will say in front of any crowd that he's putting the majority of (state) money in education. But $1 million certainly could have hired some teachers," Thomas said.

The Republic previously reported that Ducey handed out raises of up to 20 percent to his staff, while he and the Republican-controlled Legislature last year approved 1 percent stipend increases for teachers.

READ MORE: Database: Here's how well Ducey rewarded staff

Thomas noted that Ducey's latest budget proposal would provide another small raise to teachers, but even with that Arizona educators will remain the lowest paid in the country.

Ducey has been highly critical of The Republic's reporting on his staff's compensation, and a Ducey spokesman defended the additional PR hires.

"The role of a public information and communication position is to communicate with the public, the very individuals we serve," said Patrick Ptak, a Ducey spokesman. "An open and accessible government is a priority of this administration. As we continue to expand our efforts related to this priority, we increased the responsibilities of the professionals in these jobs."

Critics like Grossfeld say the additional PR hires make Ducey and his agency heads less accessible because they shield their bosses from the public and media.

Who got raises?

The Republic used the Arizona Public Records Law to obtain payroll records of senior-level public-information officers in the Governor's Office and various state agencies under his control.

The Republic compared records from January 2014, the beginning of the final year of Brewer's administration, with late November 2017, near the end of the third year of the Ducey administration. 

The consumer price index, a measure for inflation, rose 6 percent during that four-year period, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The records show:

  • Ducey's two spokesmen, Daniel Scarpinato ($162,000) and Ptak ($85,000), combined make $62,000 more than the two press secretaries who worked for Brewer during her last year in office. That's a 34 percent increase in compensation.
  • Department of Revenue Director David Briant increased the pay of his spokesman by 39 percent, to $105,000 annually. Briant, whose agency has scaled back on auditors and collected less corporate revenue from corporate audits, declined to be interviewed. Spokesman Ed Greenberg said his duties have expanded compared with his predecessor's.
  • The Department of Public Safety's director, Col. Frank Milstead, raised the pay of his top spokesman by 25 percent, to $105,818. Milstead did not return a call for comment.
  • Parks Director Sue Black increased her spokeswoman's pay by 29 percent, to $87,000. Black, who has seen an exodus of staff members and has been investigated for berating employees, did not return a call for comment. Michelle Thompson, agency spokeswoman, said she's doing the job previously done by two staffers, and the agency has had record-breaking attendance and revenues under Black.
  • Department of Economic Security raised the pay of spokeswoman Tasya Peterson by 10 percent, to nearly $103,950. She worked for both administrations. The agency also doubled the number of its PR staff to six. Peterson said DES is the second-largest state agency, and offers more than 40 programs and services to 2.9 million Arizonans. She added that DES has more than 7,500 employees.
  • The Department of Transportation has 13 public-information officers, the most of any state agency. It had a dozen under Brewer. The pay for its top spokesperson increased nearly 5 percent to $115,000. 
  • Six agencies — AHCCCS, Game and Fish, Gaming, Health Services, School Facilities Board and Veterans' Services — pay their top spokespeople less than under Brewer.
  • Richard Baker, the spokesman for the state Radiation Regulatory Agency, did not get a raise during the past four years. He is paid $58,248.

Fewer state workers

Most state employees, like Baker, have not had general pay hikes in recent years.

The average pay for state workers has increased 4.2 percent, to $45,981, since Ducey took office because of merit raises to select workers. 

The average pay for public-information officers in the Ducey administration is $73,519, also a 4.2 percent increase compared with the Brewer administration.

The Department of Administration, state government's personnel office, also has granted hefty raises and staff bonuses under Ducey, while state social workers got a $1-a-day bump.

While Ducey has increased the number of PR staffers, the overall state workforce was down by 4,862 employees, to 33,222, as of July 30, 2017. Many of those reductions occurred during Ducey's first two years in office, when mass firings occurred in state agencies.

Along with the Governor's Office, other GOP statewide officeholders gave raises to their spokespeople.

Secretary of State Michele Reagan gave a 24 percent pay hike to spokesman Matt Roberts. Reagan said she hiked Roberts' pay to $84,562 to bring it more in line with other "communications staff at the state level."

The five-member Corporation Commission raised the pay of its spokeswoman, Holly Ward, by 17 percent to $105,000 annually. Ward said her pay is in line for a division director, as established by the Department of Administration.

State Schools Superintendent Diane Douglas gave a 2 percent increase to her spokesman, Dan Godzich, who makes $85,000. 

At the Attorney General's Office, spokeswoman Mia Garcia makes slightly less than her predecessor, earning $100,000. Ryan Anderson, who also serves as a spokesman along with managing a dozen staffers, is paid $127,000.

Treasurer Jeff DeWit, who replaced Ducey in that position, significantly lowered the pay of the agency's spokesperson by 40 percent to $44,000.

Reach the reporter at craig.harris@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8478 or @charrisazrep on Twitter.

READ MORE:

Ducey proposes biggest budget in AZ history

Ducey announces plan to 'reverse Recession-era cuts' to schools

Ducey appointee hands out big raises, bonuses

Teachers want 20% raise, same as some Ducey staff

Gov. Doug Ducey, despite lean budget, awards hefty pay raises to his staff