On Sunday, April 7, Arne Carlson wrote of how great things were when he took office as governor in 1991 comparing his salary of $112,000 annually to our university president making $152,000.
He then proceeds to excoriate the university and its pricey personnel today with the governor making $120,000 and the university president $600,000.
Conspicuous by its absence is any reference by Arne to the gap when he left office eight years later. His letting the doors swing open and not saying no to any increase was like a sky rocket leading to the current gaps which, to use his term, have “exploded.”
Some would argue that at $112,000, Arne was overpaid.
Instead of complaining, had Arne and David Durenberger not supported third party candidate Jack Horner, thereby guaranteeing Mark Dayton’s victory, the Republicans would be in office and Arne could channel his negative comments to a productive result.
Instead, he knew the splitting of Republicans would allow Dayton to win the governor’s office and thereby enable his—Arne’s—progressive and liberal agenda to become a part of Minnesota by default. Now he complains.
During most of the time to which he refers about exploding costs, a Republican, Tim Pawlenty, was governor whom, evidently, if we believe Arne, did not know how to say no either.
It is curious that it has taken Arne until now to figure out that those compensation levels are so high, which we, the taxpayers, must fund and which have resulted in high education costs for our Minnesota students.
He speaks of “bold leadership” and states, “the governor should take the lead.” May I ask Arne, why did you not do that when you were governor? He does not have any more modesty today than when I first met him in 1969, at which time he was in the legislature and I was an agency head for Governor LeVander.
Lance Johnson
Lutsen/Woodbury, MN
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