The Infection Spreads
The NWF Daily News reports on a County Commissioner involved:
In the two years since he rejoined the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office for his second job, County Commissioner Don Amunds has received two raises and three months of adjusted leave – and before that, $4,000 in allowances.
He never questioned it.
…Commissioner James Campbell called Amunds “one of the most honest people you’ll ever meet,” dismissed any conflict and said a second job is essential. Commissioners make about $67,000 per year under the county’s budget, up 1.2 percent from 2008.
“He’d starve to death on just a commissioner’s salary,” Campbell said. “I’m glad he’s got a job now.”
Mr. Campbell, bless his Republican heart, is an idiot if he isn’t being sarcastic in his statements. First off, before being arrested in Las Vegas Charlie Morris was the most honest person in the county, everyone who was a Republican said so.
As for “starve to death” – a full-time minimum wage [$7.21/hour] job in Florida yields just under $15K. The median income for a male in Okaloosa County is just under $31K. If you can’t live well in this county, and most of the United States, on $67K plus benefits, you are in need of some serious financial counseling.
No wonder Charlie got away with it so long, the county commission don’t know how to live on $67K, so they think huge bonuses are normal. There are only about 180,000 people in the county, so salaries paid to public officials is a significant cost.
[Added Note: The median income for males in the US is just over $45K.]
