The Mayor of Philadelphia hired three officials convicted on felony corruption charges, on salaries totaling $235,000 a year.
Atlanta raised the pay of the mayor, city council, and school board, in a process with an obvious conflict of interest.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave raises to his friends while freezing hiring for lower-down city functions.
A Texas school superintendent scored a million-dollar remittance after having to resign after student performance remained abysmal.
The Orange County (California) supervisor used his job to get a sweetheart deal for a friend, worth $275,000.
A forensic analyst in Colorado drew hundreds of thousands in salary for substandard work that imperils 652 criminal cases.
Los Angeles has left 17.5 of its jobs open, and workers are eating up the savings by working overtime and raking it in.
A Texas city manager realized $1.2 million in total severances after leaving his job in Dallas, and gets the same deal in Austin.