Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is offering a former County Council member $37,200 on top of his current $158,464 compensation to help run hearings in addition to directing a criminal justice commission that meets four times a year. Leggett proposed the bump for Rockville lawyer Michael Subin at the same time council members were questioning his current taxpayer-funded salary, which adds up to $158,464 with benefits. Subin sat on the County Council with Leggett 25 years ago and is a longtime political ally.
The 23 percent increase in Subin’s compensation to $195,664 is included in Leggett’s budget proposal for fiscal 2012, which
would close a $300 million budget gap by firing 140 county employees, freezing salaries,
and increasing taxes and fees, among other measures.
Leggett said the salary change does not count as a raise, because Subin will be getting paid more for working more.
The Washington Examiner previously reported that Subin earns nearly $160,000 part-time as the executive director of the county’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission, which is tasked with “coordinating communication” among Montgomery’s law enforcement agencies. The full commission formally meets four times a year — with regular, smaller meetings held monthly — and is not required to produce any reports for county officials.
Subin would not comment and referred The Examiner to Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield.
To earn the raise, Subin would continue as director of the commission and also help run the county’s zoning and planning hearings — bumping him up to a full-time employee, according to Lacefield.
“To build a new road or sidewalk or whatever, we have to hold hearings,” Lacefield said. “And we need more help to do it — particularly on [new] sidewalks.”
In addition to holding hearings, Subin would be charged with deciding whether to recommend or scrap the sidewalk proposals.
Councilman George Leventhal, D-at large, said he believes Subin is replacing a “special projects director” who was partially responsible for holding such hearings. The abolished position earned $169,000, according to the county’s fiscal 2011 budget.
“As far as I know, Mr. Subin does a day’s work for a day’s pay,” Leventhal said.
Hearings for any other zoning-related requests are held by the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings, which has a $572,500 budget in Leggett’s fiscal 2012 proposal. The office employs three full-time employees and one part-time employee.
