Remember when Republicans vowed to run government like a business if they ever got in charge at NE 23rd and Lincoln Blvd. The implication was: Unlike free-spending Democrats, GOPers would squeeze every penny, ensuring taxpayers got way more bang for their bucks.
In the two decades since they seized the statehouse levers of power, Republicans have run government like a business – but not in the ways you might think.
While state employees remain underpaid and their salaries stagnant, state agency chiefs’ compensation skyrocketed – especially since the Legislature ceded power to Gov. Kevin Stitt to hire and fire major state agency CEOs at will.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported, 18 state agency chief executive officers received pay increases of at least 10% – including paying an eye-popping 112% more to Department of Commerce leader John Budd than his predecessor – $300,000 compared to $141,000.
That follows the American corporate playbook, where CEOs were paid 281 times as much as the typical worker in 2024 – up from 21 times as much as the typical worker in 1965, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Moreover, top CEO compensation soared 1,094% from 1978-2024, compared to just 26% for a typical worker’s compensation.
Is this what Oklahoma taxpayers thought they would be getting from the run-government-like-a-business crowd? State Rep. Andy Fugate thinks not. The Del City Democrat joins us for our latest Observercast – This Is Running Government Like A Business? – to break down the unconscionable salary increases and what the run-government-like-a-business agenda has meant for the delivery of state services that so many Sooners rely on.
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