Pubdate: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 Source: Olympian, The (WA) Copyright: 2005, The Olympian Contact: http://www.theolympian.com/forms/lettrfrm.shtml Website: http://www.theolympian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/319 Author: Associated Press OREGON LAWMAKER WITH METH CHARGE GIVES RAISES AS SHE LEAVES LEGISLATURE CORVALLIS, Ore. -- State Rep. Kelley Wirth, who is set to resign next week after being charged with methamphetamine possession, has spent her last weeks in office awarding raises to her staff, including her mother. Records obtained by The Oregonian show that Wirth has listed her mother, Kathleen Panknin, as an aide for more than two years. Wirth paid her mother $3,000 a month July 1 and raised it to $3,500 in mid-October. Last week, Wirth submitted papers to raise her mother's pay to $6,500 a month. Two other staff members got raises from $500 a week to $750 a week as of Nov. 1. House Minority Leader Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said the spending was inappropriate and he has asked Wirth to rescind the raises. But Wirth, D-Corvallis, defended the raises Wednesday in an interview with a Portland television station. "My staff earned it," she told KATU. "I don't think there's a single staff member in this place that doesn't earn a hell of a lot more than we pay them and that's all I'm gonna say," she added. "And if any legislator wants to say that these people don't earn the money that they get, plus some, then so be it." Oregon legislators get $33,228 in taxpayer money to pay for office staff and supply costs between legislative sessions. Legislators are allowed to pay their staff whatever they want as long as they don't exceed their budget. Wirth, 40, a single mother of two young daughters, announced her resignation from the Legislature on Oct. 14, a day after being cited for possession of what Salem police said was a small amount of methamphetamine found in her car. Her resignation is to take effect Tuesday. Wirth, who pleaded not guilty to the drug charge, is recovering from injuries suffered when she was struck by a car driven by a woman who says Wirth was having an affair with her boyfriend. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman