Check out this quote from Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing in the N&R front-pager on the recent $34,000 pay equity study:

Recently, Lawing said, he showed Evergreen’s list of suggested raises to a county department head he declined to name.

Based on the analysis, one of that department’s employees was due a $16,000 raise.

“But the department head said, ‘We can’t do that. That’s one of our worst performers,’?” Lawing said. “That’s where evaluations come in.”

Interesting the question is whether or not above mentioned “worst performer” deserves a raise instead of whether or not he should still have a job. I’ll submit the answer might be different if Lawing himself were paying the salary instead of taxpayers.