A Matter of Priorities

Arkansas Lottery

Ernie Passailaigue, Arkansas’ new $324,000-a-year lottery director, will earn more than any of our state college presidents or chancellors, except the chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  In fact, Passailaigue’s two $225,000-a-year lottery vice-presidents will get paid more than most of our state college presidents or chancellors.

To further put things into perspective, the median income for a family of 4 in Arkansas is $52,217 per year.  In other words, we’re going to pay our lottery director more than our college presidents and six times more than most Arkansas families earn every year.

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South Carolina Wins Arkansas Lottery

Arkansas Lottery

Ernie Passailaigue, former director of the South Carolina Lottery, hit the jackpot when he became director of the Arkansas Lottery at an annual salary of $324,000—third highest in the nation.  Now he’s helping a couple of his friends from South Carolina hit it big in Arkansas too.   Last week, the Arkansas Lottery Commission and the lottery legislative oversight committee gave Passailaigue the green light to hire two lottery vice-presidents, each at $225,000 a year.  He has tapped David Barden, South Carolina’s $133,000-a-year director of marketing, and Ernestine Middleton, South Carolina’s $144,000-a-year internal operations director. (more…)

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