Massachusetts: Boston Herald

The Boston Herald reported Friday that every Republican in the State Senate receives at least $15,000 on top of their salary because they are considered members of the leadership team. How does that work? Apparently, there are five members of the minority party's leadership team. Since there are only five Republicans in the Senate, they all get big bonuses:
The state Senate’s five lone Republicans, spearheading a new campaign against the Democrats’ wasteful spending, are raking in more than $80,000 a year in taxpayer-funded stipends, each claiming a leadership title - even though they have nobody to lead.

All five members of the anemic Senate minority caucus boast a top-tier post, including a minority leader, an assistant minority leader, a “third assistant minority leader,” a minority whip and an assistant minority whip.

Remember when Blue Mass Group endorsed the idea of placing an Independent commission in charge of redistricting, with hopes the state could avoid the problems of the past?

Remember how this idea was supported by the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, the NAACP, Oiste, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, Govs. Dukakis and Romney, Barney Frank, and Deval Patrick?

And remember how a bill doing this exact thing was supported by 12 senators last year?

Yea, well the Senate rejected the idea on Thursday by a vote of 7-28.

From the SHNS account:

[The Republicans] noted that several of the Democrats now voting against independent redistricting - Sens.

Karyn Polito is among a group of Republican state representatives who are backing Jeff Perry to become House Minority Leader, according to several staffers in the State House.

With his trip to Chicago Tuesday night adding fuel to speculation he is eyeing a position in an Obama administration, Gov. Deval Patrick again dismissed that notion on Tuesday.