The Daily Press has a big story today on the pay of the Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority. The General Assembly alloted $127,615 for the post but Gov. Warner and the Port Authority Board set the pay at $275,615 without following procedures outlined in state law.

This is not a big deal–it’s a big job and the salary is apparently competitive–but it’s another example of the tin ear some in the Warner Administration have about pay and perks. It’s the “we took a pay cut to join state government” mentality. The Port Authority Board has now promised it will hold public hearings on future pay raises for the Executive Director.

Del. Vince Callahan, R-Fairfax, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, got it right: “I don’t have any problem with the board paying him a competitive salary, considering what these football and basketball coaches are making. But we have created certain guidelines and provisions. If they don’t follow them, they’re on tenuous ground.”