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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Although Gov. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that state employee pay raises were not in the budget this year, the governor recently raised salaries for seven of his top advisers and employees.

Many of them are assuming new duties in addition to their current duties. As a result, the overall budget for personal services at the governor's office actually dropped slightly for the calendar year 2009.

Last year, the governor's office spent $1,954,467 of the $2,453,371 million budget set aside by the Legislature. This year, the governor's office plans to spend about $8,000 less.

During his first term in office, Manchin cut costs significantly from the last year of Gov. Bob Wise's administration.

In 2004, Wise's personal services budget was $2,445,469 and he actually spent $2,093,206.

In 2008, the last year of Manchin's first term, actual expenditures dropped slightly to $1,954,467.

Adjusting for inflation, Wise's 2004 expenditures would have been $2,353,887 in 2008 dollars, according to the Consumer Price Index calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So Manchin actually dropped personal services expenditures by nearly $400,000 during his first term in office, adjusting for inflation.

For more political news, click here

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Although Gov. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that state employee pay raises were not in the budget this year, the governor recently raised salaries for seven of his top advisers and employees.

Many of them are assuming new duties in addition to their current duties. As a result, the overall budget for personal services at the governor's office actually dropped slightly for the calendar year 2009.

Last year, the governor's office spent $1,954,467 of the $2,453,371 million budget set aside by the Legislature. This year, the governor's office plans to spend about $8,000 less.

During his first term in office, Manchin cut costs significantly from the last year of Gov. Bob Wise's administration.

In 2004, Wise's personal services budget was $2,445,469 and he actually spent $2,093,206.

In 2008, the last year of Manchin's first term, actual expenditures dropped slightly to $1,954,467.

Adjusting for inflation, Wise's 2004 expenditures would have been $2,353,887 in 2008 dollars, according to the Consumer Price Index calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So Manchin actually dropped personal services expenditures by nearly $400,000 during his first term in office, adjusting for inflation.

Matt Turner, Manchin's new communications director, said on Thursday, "For four years, the governor has run a very tight budget. Today, we all have more responsibility, doing a lot of work with a smaller staff.

"For example, our office has a smaller staff of people doing 'advance work' for the governor, involved things like setting up podiums and making sure the governor knows where he needs to be.

"We recently lost two people from that part of our staff. We run a tight ship," Turner said. "And the governor is not making any efforts to expand the size of his staff."

Five staff members, and their 2009 salaries after getting 15 percent raises, are: Larry Puccio, chief of staff and gubernatorial adviser, $126,348; Jonathan Deem, general counsel, $81,744; Sarah Smith, deputy legislative liaison, $37,908; Emily Castleberry, deputy director of public policy, $36,792; and Andrea Rayl, special assistant, $24,036.

Sara Payne-Scarbro, Manchin's press secretary, will make $47,004 after a 12 percent raise.

Turner, who replaced Lara Ramsburg as director of communications, will make $73,008, after getting a 55 percent raise this year.

Ramsburg and Carte Goodwin, general counsel for the governor, both left the governor's office for other jobs left at the end of Manchin's first term.

Despite increased responsibilities for many people on the governor's office staff, none of them can claim any overtime pay.

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.