In the case of Craig Eiland, a state representative from Galveston, he’s had the payroll a former Democratic legislator named Zeb Zbranek. For ol’ Zeb it’s a sweet deal – he’s “on call” to help Craig out with constituent services, for $300 per month. How much “on call” does that buy? Apparently enough for the incumbent to count his predecessor as a “full-time” employee.
The real travesty here is not that Zeb gets cash the $300 a month for doing, basically, zilch. No, the real offense is that Zeb is accruing snazzy benefits like that state employee health insurance… And he is adding to his state retirement. So he served a few years in the Lege (a part-time gig), but by being on Eiland’s “full-time” employment list, he keeps racking up years of service – with a massive pay-out.
You and I will be paying for Zeb’s luxuries for many years to come. The $300 salary sounds frugal, but for taxpayers, the price is wrong.
