Maui mayor’s salary to outpace Hawaiʻi governor’s until mid-2028

Starting July 1, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen will earn $245,000 annually — more than Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green‘s salary through the end of their current terms in office in 2026. Then, after a series of phased-in raises, annual pay for the governor will surpass that of Maui’s mayor beginning July 1, 2028, when the compensation for governor reaches $254,554.

After Green requested a more modest pay hike earlier this year, the Hawaiʻi Commission on Salaries scaled back its earlier recommendation of $250,116 starting in 2025 and peaking at $304,308 in 2030. Instead, the governor’s salary will increase gradually, beginning at $217,908 this year and topping out at $275,304 in 2030. The governor’s chief of staff told the commission that he believed its proposed pay raises were “too high” for the state’s chief executives.

The Maui County Salary Commission, which operates independently of the state commission, has sole authority to set salaries for Maui’s elected and appointed officials.

Both commissions conducted extensive studies, looking at — among other things — public officials’ duties and responsibilities. To put the scope of state and Maui chief executives’ responsibilities in perspective: The governor oversees the state’s executive branch, which employed 47,143 civil service and exempt employees as of June 30, 2024, according to the most recent State of Hawaiʻi Executive Branch Workforce Profile. In contrast, Maui County has roughly 11.5% of the state’s resident population and just over 3,000 public service positions, with plans to increase that workforce by 2.9% next fiscal year.

As finally recommended by the state salary commission, the governor’s salary will rise from the current $189,480 to $217,908 on July 1, 2025 — a 15% increase — with phased-in annual raises through 2030, when the salary tops out at $275,304, according to the state commission’s March 13 report and final recommendations. (See Figure 1 below.) From 2025 to 2030, this represents a 45.3% total increase in the governor’s pay, not counting housing at Washington Place in downtown Honolulu, a driver, and food allowances.

The $250,000 pay figure for the governor became a focal point during the Maui Salary Commission’s April 11 meeting. Chair Grant Nakama suggested using it as a pay “ceiling” for Maui and as “guard rails” for adjusting pay for Maui’s top leadership. The commission rescinded a March 28 vote approving higher salaries for the mayor, managing director, and deputy managing director, citing an “oversight” related to structural differences in county governments identified in a consultant report.

That report, prepared by consultant MGT at a cost of $42,760, used as comparables Mainland counties where professional managing directors or county managers — not largely “ceremonial” elected mayors — serve as the chief administrative officers. Nakama said the consultant’s use of these higher paid managing director positions led to inflated recommendations for Maui County, such as $325,104 for the managing director and $292,594 for the deputy.

On April 11, the commission revised those figures downward, approving a salary of $245,000 for the mayor, $240,000 for the managing director, and $216,000 for the deputy managing director. Other double-digit percentage salary raises for department heads and Maui County Council members — approved March 28 — were not affected.

Following the April 11 meeting, Maui Now reviewed publicly available state documents, searching for confirmation of a $250,000 pay raise for the governor. An online search revealed that earlier drafts of the state salary commission’s reports — dated Feb. 10 (Page 16) and March 4 (Page 17) — included a proposed salary of $250,116 for the governor starting in 2025, with a peak of $304,308 by 2030.

However, the final state salary commission report — approved unanimously on March 13 and submitted to the governor and Legislature — reflected Gov. Green’s request for a more modest increase.

According to testimony submitted on Jan. 30 by his chief of staff, Brooke Wilson, the governor believed a 61% total increase was “too high” and suggested a range of 35 to 40% instead. He also cited the value of the benefits he already receives, including a home, a driver, and food allowances.

The report doesn’t say how much weight the state salary commission gave to Wilson’s Jan. 30 testimony. But the commission maintained the $250,116 to $304,308 pay amounts for the governor in its Feb. 10 and March 4 draft recommendations, ultimately lowering the governor’s pay in its final recommendations.

At the April 11 Maui meeting, Nakama told commissioners his reference to $250,000 was based on the state commission’s initial recommendation — not the final figure.

“Last month, the Hawaiʻi State Salary Commission recommended that the governor’s pay be set at $250,000,” Nakama said during the meeting. “This was before Governor Green asked voluntarily for a reduction from that number. So, using this $250,000 initial recommendation as guidance I’d also like us to consider using that as a ceiling and setting the mayor’s pay somewhere below but in the neighborhood of $250,000. Those are the guard rails, I guess, in the criteria that I had in mind.”

Nakama added that he wanted to be “exceptionally clear.”

“When I say the governor was at 250 [thousand], that’s what the recommendation was for the governor’s pay coming out of the state salary commission,” he said. “The governor then voluntarily asked the commission to reduce his pay. But I don’t wanna place the governor’s choice to volunteer for a pay reduction on anyone in the County of Maui, so I just kind of put that aside and went with what the (state salary) commission originally recommended. So, just to be totally, totally clear and transparent about that 250 [thousand] number, it’s not what the governor will end up making. But the only reason for that is the governor chose to take a lower number.”

On Tuesday night, Gov. Green’s press secretary Erika Engle released a statement, quoting the governor:

“I appreciate the salary commission honoring my request for a more modest increase for the executive positions than what they had first considered, but as I’ve said before, I will not be accepting this pay raise now because people are hurting,” the governor’s statement says. “Jaime and I will instead give the increase to nonprofits that assist our most vulnerable residents, especially during these tough times.”

Barring legislative rejection of the pay raises before adjournment on May 2, the state salary commission’s recommendations will go into effect. On April 8, Senate President Ronald Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura issued a joint statement supporting the commission’s report and noting the transparency and ample opportunity for public input during its 14 meetings.

Chaired by attorney and former US Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, the Hawaiʻi Commission on Salaries includes Vice Chair Wesley Machida and members Beth Amaro, Susan Arnett, Cathy Betts, Pankaj Bhanot and Margery Bronster.

The commission’s final report also includes recommended pay increases for the lieutenant governor, department directors and deputies, judges, justices, and legislators. Lawmakers will see their raises take effect in 2027, with the House speaker and Senate president earning $128,052 by 2030, and 74 rank-and-file legislators earning $114,348.

That commission’s report is chock full of interesting information.

For example, the Council of State Governments ranked Hawaiʻi’s governor as the ninth-highest paid in the US, at $189,480, in 2022. The lieutenant governor ranked second-highest among counterparts nationwide.

Also, Table 4.3 shows compensation, staff, travel and residence allowances for the nation’s 50 governors, according to a survey in 2022. It shows that Hawaiʻi’s governor, at that time, was paid $189,480 per year, had a staff of 42 employees, an official residence, travel allowances, and an automobile, but no helicopter or airplane.

State governors who were earning more than $200,000 in 2022 included New York ($258,572), California ($226,050), Pennsylvania ($220,330) and Tennessee ($211,342).

In notes under “Governor’s Salary,” the report says Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont would forego his salary of $150,000 and former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak pledged to donate his $169,079 annual salary to K-12 schools.