Editorial: State's bargain employee taxes public confidence
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN), September 26, 2007
Our position: The governor should set policy barring private compensation of public employees.
Let's concede that Neil Pickett is a valuable member of Gov. Mitch Daniels' management team.
Pickett, the governor's senior policy adviser and a former executive at Eli Lilly and Co., brings a wealth of experience and talent to the Statehouse.
But the method by which Pickett is compensated should give the public pause. That's because more than half of his $156,840 salary comes from a private source, the Lilly Endowment.
....... The potential for conflicts of interest, however, is clear. As Common Cause/Indiana policy director Julia Vaughn told Star reporter Mary Beth Schneider: "He who pays the piper calls the tune.''