Frank Richards, executive director of the state corporation in charge of a long-planned trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, is again the state’s top-paid public executive.
According to an annual report required by law and filed Monday with the Alaska House of Representatives, Richards received $488,147 in total state compensation last year, including $402,036 in salary and $86,111 in “other” compensation, which includes a leave cash-out and a performance bonus, plus a cellphone allotment.
Richards, who received $479,588 in total compensation in 2023, has been the state’s top-paid executive since 2021, according to prior reports.
The newly released report lists University of Alaska President Pat Pitney as the state’s No. 2 top-paid executive, with $411,553 in total compensation.
Pitney’s salary is below the $397,954 salary earned by Deven Mitchell, head of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., but Pitney also receives a housing and vehicle allowance.
Bryan Butcher, executive director of the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., was No. 4, with $379,661 in compensation, followed by William “Bill” O’Leary, president and CEO of the Alaska Railroad, with $351,647.
The annual executive compensation report lists only the top officials at state agencies. When overtime, bonus pay and cashed-in leave is considered, rank-and-file employees occasionally finish among the state’s top-paid public figures. In 2022, a forensic psychiatrist was likely the state’s No. 2 top-paid employee. The 2024 figures for all employees are subject to an outstanding public records request.
Last year, commissioners, the lieutenant governor, and the governor received a significant pay increase via the State Officers Compensation Commission, whose recommendations become active unless specifically rejected by the Legislature and governor.
Commissioners generally received $168,696 in salary, the report shows, with few exceptions. Emma Pokon, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, was a deputy commissioner and paid at a higher salary before becoming commissioner.
Attorney General Treg Taylor received $202,818 in salary in 2024 for reasons that were not immediately apparent. Inquiries by phone and email on Monday were not returned that day.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy received $176,077 in salary, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom received $139,827.
State legislators also received significant pay increases in 2024 because of the compensation commission’s recommendations.
The starting salary for a legislator is $84,000 per year. In addition to that, legislators receive money for travel expenses, relocation expenses at the start and end of the legislative session, and office expenses — up to $12,000 per year for a member of the House and up to $20,000 per year for a member of the Senate.
Each legislator, as long as they live at least 50 miles away from the Capitol, may also claim per diem daily living expenses. In 2024, the per diem rate was $307 per day, based on the rate the federal government paid its employees who travel to Alaska.
According to the Legislature’s newly released 2024 salary and business expense report, Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, was the top-compensated legislator last year, receiving $228,912 in total compensation.
Stedman’s total included almost $47,000 in travel expenses, the report showed.
Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, was No. 2 with $222,777 in total compensation. He had been No. 1 in 2023. No. 3 in 2024 was Sen. Donny Olson, D-Golovin, at $215,415, followed by Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, at $202,952, and Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, at $199,576.
The legislator with the lowest compensation was Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, at $89,644. Story did not claim any travel expenses, and because she lives in Juneau, she was ineligible for relocation expenses and per diem. She also used only two-thirds of her allowed office account.
Barring action by the Legislature and governor, legislative and executive salaries are expected to rise in 2027 as automatic inflation-proofing comes into effect via the latest recommendation from the state salary commission.
• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. This article originally appeared online at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.
