The Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials voted on October 15 to recommend a complete two-year freeze on the salary of Governor Bob Ferguson, keeping his annual compensation at $234,275 through 2028.
Following extensive discussion, the panel approved the motion, formally locking the governor's rate in the preliminary schedule.
For regional communities across Kitsap County and Western Washington, where thousands of residents commute to state jobs at ferry terminals, corrections centers, and administrative offices, the executive salary freeze provides symbolic parity with the financial austerity imposed on frontline state payrolls.
Voters created the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials through an amendment to the state constitution in 1986, enacting formal enabling statutes in 1987.
Legislative leaders in both the House and Senate have acknowledged that crafting the upcoming supplemental and biennial operating budgets will require substantial fiscal restraint.
The Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials voted to freeze compensation for Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck while approving modest raises for lawmakers.