Where is Rob O’Dell when we need him?

by David Safier

There's a teeny tiny little piece in the Star's Business Briefs about "a big bump in pay" for Arizona Commerce Authority CEO Don Cardon. How big a bump? From $183,000 to $300,000 a year. This would be a screaming front page Rob O'Dell story if it were a city job, not just a short piece meant only for the eyes of business people.

[To be fair, O'Dell covers the city, not the state. The point I'm making is, every "excess" in city government, real or imagined, is a major scandal in the Star. This, not so much.]

The original Capitol Times story (subscription only) has the details.

The CEO of the fledgling Arizona Commerce Authority will collect a base salary that will nearly double his pay compared to when he was the director of the now-defunct Arizona Department of Commerce.

Don Cardon’s total compensation package will include a $300,000 base salary, plus a $1,000 per month vehicle allowance and a $50,000 signing bonus his first year. He is also eligible for private-sector bonuses and other perks.

My favorite line in the story is the statement released by the ACA VP Jerry Colangelo:

“This move sends a signal that this position, and the organization as a whole, is of utmost importance and requires a visionary leader to bring Arizona to the forefront of a global marketplace,” he said in the statement.

Translation: Paying the same guy twice as much money is a smart move, because it means people will take him seriously.

Colangelo is a Principal Partner at JDM Partners. Here are the other Board of Directors members of this privatized government agency. Note their stratospheric positions in the private sector. They probably felt sorry for this poor Don Cardon guy, making a mere $183,000, so they gave him a raise while they scream bloody murder about bloated government departments and budgets.

ACA Board of Directors
Chair, Governor Jan Brewer
Co-Chairman, Jerry Colangelo – Principal Partner, JDM Partners
Donald Cardon – President and CEO, Arizona Commerce Authority
Gary Abrams – CEO and President, Abrams Airborne Manufacturing
Richard Adkerson – President and CEO, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold
Dr. Craig Barrett – Chairman of the Board and CEO (Retired), Intel
Michael Bidwill – President, Arizona Cardinals
Paul Bonavia – Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tucson Electric Power
Drew Brown – Founder and Chairman of the Board, DMB Associates
Phillip L. Francis – Executive Chairman, PetSmart, Inc.
Mike Ingram – CEO and President, El Dorado Holdings
Tim Jeffries – Founder, P7 Enterprises
Stephen Macias – President and CEO of Pivot Manufacturing
Michael Manson – Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Motor Excellence
Mary Peters – President, Mary E. Peters Consulting Group
Doug Pruitt – Chairman and CEO, Sundt Construction
Victor Smith – President and Owner, JV Farms
Roy Vallee – Executive Chairman, Avnet
Candace D. Wiest – President and CEO, West Valley National Bank

RELUCTANT POINTS GIVEN FOR CONSISTENCY: Russell Pearce and Andy Tobin, non-voting, ex-officio members of the Board, objected to the pay raise. But it doesn't sound like they've made much of a stink about this, like they usually do about government budgets and salaries run amok. I'm guessing this is a wink-and-a-nudge, where Pearce and Tobin voice a feeble public objection while they give their private assent.