Gov. Haley’s staff gets $27,000 worth of raises

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has given $29,000 in raises to her staff. Haley’s spokesman Rob Godfrey told The Post and Courier of Charleston that the total compensation for Haley’s staff went down 9 percent because job responsibilities shifted and one position hasn’t been filled. Godfrey will get an extra $7,000. Deputy Chief of Staff Ted Pitts will get a $12,000 raise, while budget manager Josh Baker and legislative liaison Katherine Veldran each received a $5,000 pay bump. Christian Soura, who initially made $1 a year as the governor’s special assistant, is now making $122,000 after taking over as deputy chief of staff. Agencies can only carry forward 10 percent of unused money, so if Haley hadn’t given the raises, the money would have returned to the general budget.