Editorial: Just how much is enough?

Wednesday, July 11, 2001 | 9:25 a.m.

On Tuesday the state Board of Examiners inexplicably used its power under a new law to allow Dick Kirkland, director of the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, to collect both a regular salary and his retirement pay. So Kirkland, who makes $103,000 a year from his salary, also will be able at the same time to draw an annual pension of $70,000 from his 29 years of working for the Reno Police Department. Until this year someone who retired under the Public Employees Retirement System couldn't collect a pension while also working for another government agency.

The new law was intended to recruit people back to government jobs in situations where there was a shortage of key employees, such as that exists with teachers. That makes the action by the Board of Examiners -- made up of Gov. Kenny Guinn, Secretary of State Dean Heller and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa -- all the more inexcusable. Who seriously believes that if the DMV director's job suddenly became vacant tomorrow, that the governor would have a hard time filling the post? Assemblyman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, can't be blamed for saying that this is "a blatant abuse of the law."

Kirkland wasn't the only one who received a hefty increase in pay -- 22 employees in the department he supervises also were permitted to receive both their retirement pay and salaries. Along with 10 Nevada Highway patrolmen, others receiving the additional compensation included Kirkland's top deputy, David Kieckbush. Certainly there will be cases where employees deserve more pay, but Kirkland certainly didn't warrant such an extraordinary hike.