An editorial in the pages of the Roanoke Times reviews Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring’s abysmal record on equal pay for women. Penny Nance with Concerned Women for America outlines why:
In the lawsuit, the woman highlighted that she was being paid less than her male counterparts with the same tenure and experience as herself. Her starting salary was $62,000, but the state range for people in her position at the time was $70,000 to $90,000. When she learned this, she went to her superiors. For four years, she continued to fight for equal pay, receiving small raises each time, but nothing equal to men in the same position.
In 2015, Mark Herring decided to take action, but not the action you’d expect. He fired the female attorney. But only after keeping her on through two big trials which further shows her competence and skill.
When she was terminated, the state’s pay matrix had been updated, with the starting salary for people in her position increased to $90,800. What was she being paid at the time of her firing? Only $65,280. Thirty percent less than the starting salary, even after being in the job for five years.
Herring ended up settling the suit — for $200,000 (or so it appears).
Of course, given the horrible treatment Republican HOD candidate Lolita Mancheno-Smoak has received at the hands of Democrats (comparing her to an animal and a serial killer) and the Democrat’s own Justin Fairfax — the second black LG candidate on the ticket who has been practically left in the cold by the Democratic establishment — all compounded by the national scandal of Democratic fundraisers enabling the likes of Harvey Weinstein, and a pattern begins to emerge.
Herring’s critics will rightly ask why these imbalances continue to exist. Herring’s lack of action — and answers — perhaps deserve more scrutiny from the public before a decision is made in November.
