More details & a case study on MLG’s massive pay hikes for her staff

The Santa Fe New Mexican had a VERY illuminating story about the woman who had the single biggest pay bump from the Gov. (thanks to our taxes). We covered the initial story here, but you’ll want to check this out…let’s just say that the private sector isn’t NEARLY as generous as government.

Leah Mountain is an Administrative Assistant for MLG. She received the top (26%) salary bump from the Gov. as was recently reported.

According to the article, “before joining the Governor’s Office, Mountain worked for seven months as an assistant manager at Whole Hog Café.” According to our research on Indeed and other websites an assistant manager at Whole Hog Cafe earns about $41,600 annually. 

Mountain started out with an annual salary of $60,000 when she joined the Lujan Grisham administration in April 2024. That’s a 44% increase not including the MUCH better benefits offered to government employees.

Furthermore according to the story, “A few months later, she got a small pay increase, bringing her salary to $61,800. By May, her salary ballooned to $75,000, which then grew to $78,000 as a result of the across-the-board pay increase that went into effect for most state government employees at the start of the fiscal year in July.”

So, in less than 1.5 years since taking a 44% pay increase to join MLG’s administration Mountain saw AN ADDITIONAL 30% bump in pay! This is for a high school graduate who happens to be the daughter of Mountain, who is the daughter of James Mountain, the chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors. She also was a volunteer for Democrat Andrea Romero’s legislative campaign.

In the original article about the Gov.’s massive pay raises Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman. “These seasoned professionals could command higher compensation in the private sector but choose public service.” What young high school grads are getting similar pay increases in the private sector?