As he leaves for Washington, Groff's staff get a cushy farewell gift

Monday, the AP reported that former Colorado state Senate President Peter Groff paid his staff $30,000 in bonuses before he left office, despite a statewide hiring freeze and a budget crisis that could mean furloughs for thousands of other workers.

At the end of the legislative session, Groff left the Colorado Senate for a position in the Obama administration as director of the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center. He is an outspoken supporter of school choice, an opponent of the business personal property tax and a respected leader by Democrats and Republicans alike. It is hard to say anything bad about him.

But this time, Groff made a mistake.

Each party caucus at the state capitol gets a lump sum annually to hire staff, pay for overhead, and the like. But while Groff was busy paying his staff bonuses ranging from $1,500 to $5,500, Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, paid no bonuses this year and actually returned $10,000 from his office budget to the state Treasury.

"There are a lot of great workers who are not getting bonuses this year," Penry told the AP. "These aren't huge sums of money, but symbolism matters. Government should be sacrificing like everyone else."

House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, and House Speaker Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, didn’t pay out any bonuses either.

His successor as Senate president, Democrat Brandon Shaffer of Longmont, said he has already awarded a $5,000 bonus to one of his staffers in his short time in the position.

Public-sector bonuses have become a hot topic at the federal level, as well. A recent Face The State watchdog report revealed members of Colorado's federal delegation doled out nearly a quarter-million in staff bonuses in 2008 alone.