Lt. Gov. Cuts Spending While Dukakis Is Away

With Gov. Michael S. Dukakis out of the state, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy issued a series of executive orders on Friday to cut state spending in the face of failing revenues.

Murphy, a gubernatorial candidate who appears to be losing ground to her two Democratic primary opponents, said she would not try to take disciplinary action against agency heads who do not comply with the orders.

“I’m not going to do anything silly,” she said at a news conference. “I understand the limits of my authority right now.”

She acknowledged that Dukakis could rescind the orders when he returns next week from a trade mission to Europe.

Murphy called for a 25% cut in middle-level management personnel by Dec. 31, implementation of an early retirement incentive program and a temporary payroll reduction for those making more than $40,000, which includes the governor and lieutenant governor.

She called also for monthly reporting of state spending and state revenue collections and quarterly audits by a private firm.

The measures would save from $125 million to $150 million, she said, about the same level of cuts ordered Tuesday by Dukakis. But Murphy claimed that her cuts would be limited exclusively to middle management and would not affect direct services.