Two employees in Gov. Asa Hutchinson's office have received promotions and pay raises exceeding $20,000 per year, the governor's spokesman, J.R. Davis, said Friday.
Most others received smaller pay increases of less than $1,000, effective in the fiscal year that started July 1.
Earlier this year, the Arkansas Legislature authorized 1 percent cost-of-living raises for state employees in fiscal 2016.
Justin Tate has been promoted from the governor's deputy legal counsel to chief legal counsel and his salary boosted by $23,000 per year to $93,000 per year, state records show.
Tate succeeded Elizabeth Smith as the governor's chief legal counsel. Smith was paid $125,000 per year as the governor's chief legal counsel and she has assumed the duties of Medicaid inspector general, for which she is paid $151,500 per year, according to the state's transparency website.
Before joining Hutchinson's administration, Tate worked at the secretary of state's office as the associate general counsel. Tate has a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tenn. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds a degree in political science. A Little Rock native, Tate attended Arkansas Baptist High School.
Kane Webb has been promoted from deputy communications director to senior adviser and special projects, and his salary increased by $25,000 to $85,000 per year, according to state records.
Among other things, Webb previously worked as an editorial writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, executive editor of Arkansas Life magazine and editor of Louisville Magazine.
Davis, who is Hutchinson's communications director, received a $5,000 raise to $85,000 per year, state records show.
Davis had been a spokesman for Hutchinson's campaign and for Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers. He also worked for KNWA TV in Fayetteville.
Hutchinson's chief of staff, Michael Lamoureux, is now the office's highest paid staff member.
Lamoureux received a $1,121 raise to $113,212 per year, according to state records. Lamoureux is a former Senate president pro tempore and has worked as a public defender.
As governor, Hutchinson is paid $141,000 per year, a salary set by the Independent Citizens Commission earlier this year. The job previously paid $87,759 annually.
Metro on 07/18/2015