HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell's stance on his own $23,000 pay raise has been largely overshadowed by the ongoing public furor at state legislators for raising their pay by 16 to 34 percent.

Gov. Ed Rendell

But Rendell said yesterday he has no intention of accepting his new, higher salary of $178,000 if he's re-elected in November 2006. He said he made the decision soon after the pay raises for legislators, judges and executive branch officials were approved July 7.

Rendell said his decision not to accept the additional money was not a ploy to increase his popularity with voters in 2006.

"It has nothing to do with re-election," he said. "You can't do anything good without it being about you're trying to get re-elected."

Unlike the pay raises for legislators and judges, which took effect immediately, the raises for Rendell and his cabinet members won't take effect until the next four-year gubernatorial term begins in January 2007.

When Rendell signed the pay raise legislation on July 8, he said he thought the raises were warranted, especially for the "seriously underpaid" cabinet secretaries and other high-ranking officials in his administration.

Rendell also said he didn't begrudge legislators their raises because many of them treat their work as a career and every career person anticipates raises sometimes.

But, Rendell said, he knew what the governor's salary was when he first ran in 2002 and wasn't doing it for the money.

The next governor is due to make $178,000 instead of the current $155,000.

"I didn't run for governor because of the salary; rather, I ran to change Pennsylvania for the better," he said.

Rendell's salary has been increased twice by cost-of-living adjustments for 2003 and 2004, but he waited until January 2005 to accept the COLA increases because many state workers' wages were frozen for those two years. The workers did get a raise this year so he took the COLA, he said.

Rendell said he's always known he's limited to two four-year terms and then can return to the private sector if he wants a higher salary.

Meanwhile, fallout continues from harsh public criticism of legislators over their pay raise.

State Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak, yesterday became the second western Pennsylvania legislator to decline his raise after saying on Monday he would take it.

His salary would have gone from $69,647 to $81,050.

Gergely had voted against the 16 percent raise on July 7, but later decided to accept the money and use it to establish a scholarship foundation in memory of his late uncle.

"I still plan on getting the Gergely Scholarship Foundation started, but I will not do it by taking and using the money from unvouchered expenses," he said. "Many constituents in my district have called me and voiced their concerns about personal gain."

Legislators have to take their higher salary in monthly allotments of unvouchered expenses because the state constitution bars them from increasing their actual salary midterm.

Gergely joins state Sen. Sean Logan, D-Monroeville, in first accepting the expense money and later rejecting it. Logan changed his mind Thursday.

A total of 19 state lawmakers who voted against the raise are still taking it, including five in the Pittsburgh area.