ALBANY – Republican John Cahill is looking at a big pay cut if he wins his race for state attorney general.
Cahill, a former top aide to then Gov. George Pataki, has earned more than $700,000 almost every year since he left government in 2006, according to tax returns released Friday.
His salary peaked at $1.2 million in 2008.
Last year, he earned $788,190 — including of $569,273 as a lawyer with the Manhattan firm Chadbourne and Parke and $102,381 as a consultant with Pataki-Cahill Group, a company he formed with Pataki. He also pulled down $117,333 as a member of the Hudson Valley Bank board of directors.
The attorney general’s post pays $151,500.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, reported $297,836 in income on his 2013 returns, including $42,614 in ordinary dividends and $98,341 in capital gains from a portfolio of mutual funds.
When asked why Cahill is willing to take a huge pay cut, his spokesman David Catalfamo said: “It’s simple, a desire to restore integrity and independence to the Attorney General’s office.”
A Quinnipiac poll this week found Schneiderman leading Cahill 46% to 34%.
