Reader: Scott Gessler was honest about his inability to live on $68,000 Sec. of State salary

Our own Jonathan Shikes named Secretary of State Scott Gessler Shmuck of the Week in part for deciding after being elected that he couldn't live on the office's $68,000 salary. Plenty of commenters seemed to agree with this designation. But one reader offered a defense of Gessler's honesty and warned...

By Michael Roberts

February 1, 2011

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Our own Jonathan Shikes named Secretary of State Scott Gessler Shmuck of the Week in part for deciding after being elected that he couldn't live on the office's $68,000 salary. Plenty of commenters seemed to agree with this designation. But one reader offered a defense of Gessler's honesty and warned against backlash repercussions.

Harvie writes:

Apparently Jonathan Shikes would like to limit candidates for SOS to those who would be delighted to earn 68,000/year?

Gessler did the right thing by announcing his intentions and checking with the AG.

I'd rather Gessler work full time for us but he doesn't deserve these snide comments.

Also, elections have been starved for money in CO and bad decisions are being made just to save money. The SOS should reserve its budget to pay for election oversight.

It is unbelievable how oversight of elections has slid in the past few cycles.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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