Editorial: Governor should take an annual salary

We start with a hearty cheer, hands cupped to our mouths and pointed westward. We doubt Gov. Doug Burgum will hear it all the way out in Bismarck, but if he does catch faint tones in the wind, he may seek an explanation.

We cheer the governor because we appreciate his decision to donate his salary to benefit addiction services in North Dakota. His donation will be approximately $51,500 after taxes, which amounts to the pay he was supposed to receive during his first six months in office.

Burgum said the donation will used as seed money for new recovery and treatment initiatives that his wife, Kathryn Helgaas Burgum, will announce later. The move continues the efforts by the governor and first lady to combat drug and alcohol problems in North Dakota.

But in a statement, he noted that the $51,500 is "the salary I have been legally obligated to accept since taking office."

And there's the catch.

Burgum doesn't want a salary. He seeks no monetary compensation. During his campaign, he told voters he wouldn't accept a salary and now he's "legally obligated" - to use his words - to take this money. He doesn't want it because he doesn't need it, and especially during a time of great budget cuts in the state.

It has created a stir among state lawmakers, many of whom feel the governor must take the salary to avoid setting a precedent for future top executives.

We agree with those lawmakers. Burgum should be paid for his work.

Burgum is financially secure, and we appreciate that he would rather save the state the expense of paying him. The trouble is that future governors probably won't be so well off. It's a precedent that shouldn't be hoisted upon the shoulders of those to come.

Burgum should take the money, which comes to $132,964 annually.

So we cheer the governor for his donation and the continued work he and his wife are doing to battle the addiction crisis that grips the state. But as we cup our hands to our mouth and shout westward, we also urge him to continue to take the money and donate it to causes that will improve life in North Dakota.