OINK, OINK — the hog is now the symbol of the Democratic Party in Virginia.
Not even in power for two weeks, Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) introduced a budget amendment to triple the salaries of state senators and delegates to $45,000, effective January 2028.
According to the budget amendment, taxpayers would be on the hook for $2,131,489 more in 2028 to cover the increase. Besides proposing a slew of tax increases and claiming they want “affordability,” this is just one more kick in the stomach.
State senators have been earning just $18,000 a year and delegates $17,640 for some 30 years, according to this 2024 article. As a former elected office holder myself — Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Leesburg Town Council, 2006 to 2017 — I can attest to the fact that the demands of being a General Assembly (GA) member have increased, as I worked with many of them during my time in office.
And so have the requirements for campaigning for election and re-election. In the recent 2025 election, Democrats spent upwards of $3.5 million to win many House of Delegates seats.
The job is supposed to be part time. Go down to Richmond for either a six- or eight-week session, depending on whether it’s an even-year election year, do your business Monday through Friday, come home on weekends, and in late February, go back to your homes and families.
But they have meetings and demands year-round. There are endless committee meetings in Richmond, which means a number of them have to travel by plane or by car for a few hours and stay in Richmond overnight.
Their day is packed when they are in session — often starting with breakfasts and seminars as early as 7 a.m., followed by more committee meetings, then time on the floor, and meetings and other obligations in the evenings.
So, a stipend increase is probably in order — but doing it through a budget amendment might not be the most transparent means unless there is an up-or-down vote on the amendment. That’s because members can claim to vote for the whole budget, which includes the amendment. I am unsure how legal this is.
In addition, the jump to $45,000 in 2028 would not just cost the extra $2.1 million, but also add to the retirement accounts of GA members who choose to be in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS).
County supervisors, city and town council members, and school board members are not allowed to be vested in VRS, but GA members can.
As we all know, there is an employee “match” to what you contribute, and that comes from taxpayers. And the rate of the pension is based on your annual salary.
Obviously, unless there are some restrictions on this in the legislation, starting in January 2028, if you have served in the GA for 20 or 30 years, your pension would not be based on the old salary, but the new one.
The public also does not know that GA members get a travel allowance and staff. All of their housing and meals are paid for when they are in session or attend meetings during the course of the year.
They also can use their staff to work on their campaigns. I believe they each get a full-timer and at least a part-timer.
They are not allowed to get reimbursed for local travel in their districts. But in Loudoun, former Del. Wendy Gooditis (D) was for years stating on her expense account that she was spending a few thousand dollars for a local office. In reality, she was reimbursing herself for travel in the 10th District, which is vast, no doubt.
Finally, the amount of campaign cash going into the coffers of incumbent GA members from lobbyists and special interests is significant. Senators and delegates are prohibited from raising money for their campaigns while they are in session, but because they have votes on key matters, special interests are always showering them with campaign cash, which preserves their seats — especially in one-party-dominated red or blue districts.
What is sad in all this is that by law, city councilmembers and mayors cannot earn more than $28,000 a year. I can tell you from experience that Bobby Dyer, the Republican mayor of Virginia Beach — the state’s largest city — has huge demands on his time and has to keep a “day job” to live. But nobody in the GA seems willing to deal with that issue.
Meanwhile, county supervisors and town councils have no legal cap on what they can pay themselves. Very unfair to the cities. Fairfax and Loudoun supervisors each raised their salaries more than 35 percent in 2023, effective in 2024, and get more aides to help them, but they have year-round meeting obligations, unlike the GA.
OINK, OINK, Democrats!
Ken Reid has been a journalist and editor for more than 45 years and served on the Leesburg Town Council (2006 to 2011, and again in 2017), and on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (2012-2015).
