Georgia’s top transportation official might receive his second $100,000 raise in four years.
The State Transportation Board announced Thursday that it plans to consider raising Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry’s salary to $450,000 when it meets next month. That would be a 29% increase over the commissioner’s current salary of $350,000.
Board Chairman Rudy Bowen declined an interview about McMurry’s raise. But he issued a statement citing the commissioner’s performance in a number of areas.
“Under his leadership, GDOT’s budget has grown to over $3.8 billion and received over $250 million in competitive federal grants,” Bowen said. “Since McMurry has been commissioner, we’ve seen major progress made across the entire state including replacement of rural bridges and improved pavement conditions, widening of interstates such as I-85 and major interstate interchange reconstruction projects such as I-285 at SR 400 and I-95 at I-16.
“As a new federal infrastructure package is currently being proposed, it is very important to the board that Commissioner McMurry continue to lead GDOT in the coming years,” Bowen said.
McMurry joined GDOT in 1990 and has led the agency since 2015. The board last raised his pay in 2017, from $250,000 to $350,000.
If he gets another pay hike, McMurry still wouldn’t crack the list of the top 10 highest-paid state employees. Last year the highest-paid employee was Georgia State President Mark Becker, who earned $2.8 million, including a deferred compensation plan payment. Becker was one of three public university employees to earn more than $1 million in fiscal 2020, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found.
Among non-university employees, the top echelon included three investment officers for the Teachers Retirement System — Charles Cary ($980,883), Michael Majure ($830,566) and Thomas Horkan ($830,566). Other top salary recipients include several employees of the Georgia Ports Authority, including Executive Director Griffith Lynch ($828,887).
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