Salaries for governors in New England have been on an upward trend. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's pay raise makes him the highest-paid governor in the region.
A couple years ago, Baker opposed a raise being pushed by state legislators.
"I'm not gonna take the pay raise," Baker said in February 2017. "The lieutenant governor's not gonna take the pay raise. And I'm not gonna take the stipend. Because there's still a lot of people in Massachusetts who are struggling and hurting, and I think it's important that we sort of stand by them."
But that was then, and Baker has since changed his mind.
During his re-election campaign, he said he'd take the raise, as well as a hefty housing stipend, if re-elected.
That means Baker will now earn $185,000 a year. The $33,000 raise makes him the top earner among New England governors.
Vermont's governor will come the next closest at about $178,000. Other New England states are in the middle of the pack.
But far below them is Maine, where the governor has earned $70,000 a year since 1987. A state law doubled the salary that year — but efforts since to boost it have failed.
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