Rep. Steve Tharinger takes voluntary 3 percent cut in pay

Published 12:01 am Sunday, September 11, 2011

Steve Tharinger has joined fellow Sequim lawmaker Kevin Van De Wege in taking a voluntary pay cut from his salary in the state House of Representatives.

Tharinger filed paperwork last week to take a 3 percent pay cut effective Sept. 1 through the end of 2012, said Bernard Dean, deputy chief clerk of the House.

Tharinger became the 44th state representative to take a voluntary pay cut, Dean said. There are 98 members in the House.

Both Tharinger and Van De Wege — who opted for a 5 percent pay cut earlier this summer — represent the 24th District, which covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.

State Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam — also representing the 24th District — has decided not to take a pay cut.

Rank-and-file lawmakers earn $42,106 a year. A 3 percent cut amounts to $105.26 per month or $1,263 per year.

“The majority of the members requesting pay cuts have asked for 3 percent,” Dean said.

This year’s Legislature cut state employee pay by 3 percent to help close a budget gap of more than $5 billion.

‘Right thing to do’

Tharinger said his voluntary cut “seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Since state employees are making a sacrifice, it’s important for me, who voted on some of those cuts, to show solidarity with them,” Tharinger said.

A handful of members, including Van De Wege and House Speaker Frank Chopp, asked for a 5 percent cut, Dean said.

Most members of the part-time Legislature have other jobs outside of Olympia.

Tharinger makes $63,504 per year as a Clallam County commissioner. He fulfilled a campaign promise to return a portion of his county salary — a little more than $400 — for the county meetings that he missed while he was conducting state business in Olympia.

Tharinger decided last spring that he will not seek a fourth term on the county commission and will instead focus on his duties as a state legislator.

He said he hasn’t decided whether he will embark on a new career after the 2012 legislative session ends next spring.

Van De Wege, the majority whip in the Legislature, is a lieutenant and paramedic with Clallam County Fire District No. 3 in Sequim.

Hargrove is a self-employed forester who has served in the Senate since 1992 and the House for eight year before that.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.