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White Pushes Over-The-Top Salary

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

We were too quick to praise Hillsborough County commissioner Kevin White for showing fiscal restraint last week in dismissing the discredited director of the county transportation commission.

Although he stood against giving the ousted director a six-month severance package, White broke the bank in setting a salary for the interim director.

Cesar Padilla had been making $40,000 as chief inspector for the transportation commission, which licenses taxis, limousines and tow trucks. But on taking the interim director's job, White insisted that Padilla's salary more than double - to $100,360.

Commissioner Brian Blair, who erred in trying to give the dismissed director six months' severance pay, was the only elected leader to stand up for taxpayers on this issue. 'I can't do that, I'm sorry.'

Curiously, White argued that because the board had just given its ousted director a golden parachute, he didn't have a problem with giving Padilla an extraordinary increase. White wanted Padilla paid the same as the former director, who'd been on the job nearly 10 years.

Here's an even greater irony: White fears the Civil Service Board, hardly a friend to fiscal conservatives, could quash the pay hike as excessive.

Given the fistfuls of money being handed out at County Center, we'll take a fiscal conservative wherever we can find one.

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