(And will it be conceived in secret once again?)
A recent post discussed the double-digit pay raise recently proposed for judges in Maryland during the next few years when most folks, including state employees, will be earning less, possible much less. As incredible as that proposal seems, during the past few years Barrie Tilghman has gotten a triple-digit pay raise as mayor thanks to a salary review committee that she appointed and the City Council that was controlled by the “Dream Team” (Comegys, Dunn and Cathcart) when the proposal was made by that committee and acted upon by the Council in early 2005.
The 150% pay raise proposal was discussed and decided by the committee in secret meetings – held without public notice or knowledge – and its recommendation was not announced by Barrie until after the deadline for filing to run for mayor in the 2005 election. What interesting timing.
It’s now about time for the next salary review and recommendation by that committee. It will be interesting to see whether they propose another pay increase in the mayor’s salary now that Barrie has decided not to run for reelection next year.
And recall that in 2005 Mr. Comegys voted to increase the salary for both the mayor and members of the City Council, and in 2007 he voted for the property tax rate increase (double-digit) to get the funds to pay the higher salary. Would he do that again if the committee recommends another mayoral pay raise?
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23 comments:
Well we all know he will not raise them or talk about raising the taxes until after the election is over as he usually does. Gary and Louise made promises to both policemen and firemen that they didn't keep, why should I expect any different from them now?
Well im from Cambridge and i may not have voted for the new Mayor but let it be know she had it passed that the council and herself all have taken 10 percent paycuts to help balance the budget. With due respect!!!!
The pay needs to be in line with the jobs responsibilities.
The bottom line is we need a city manager who runs the day to day operations and the mayor should be a figure head as in other towns such as Dover, Seaford, etc.
If they got paid for ugly they'd both be billionares
You have got to be freakn kidding me! With all the financial short falls this idiot wants a pay raise? I don't think so. I think all the underhanded dealings that have put thousands in her pockets should be raise enough.
110 days can not go fast enough for ALL OF US!
I gotta say, I am not a fan of the mayor, but the job really is a huge one, and $25,000 a year does not come close to representing the work that the mayor has to do. the hourly rate would be in violation of labor laws for sure! The problem with such a low salary is that it means you have to either have a wealthy spouse, or be retired to be mayor of Salisbury. Or you have to be extraordinarily devoted to the city and be willing to take a massive pay cut to do the job. We want the best and the brightest to run our cities, not the people who happen to be able to afford it. When I think of all of the really talented, really smart people who live here and who could be great mayors if they could afford to do it, it makes me more than willing to have a pay increase. I'd bet that if you doubled the mayor's salray, you would probably triple the return to the citizens of Salisbury by gettingsomeone in there who can really clean house.
"Or you have to be extraordinarily devoted to the city and be willing to take a massive pay cut to do the job."
The Above = Jim Ireton
i think a credible mayor should make money that is commensurate with their job. now if the mayor is a slack ass beotch like the one ya'll got in the bury then that's another story!
10:45 -
Are you aware that the Exec. assistant (or whatever he is called) -- that's John Pick -- gets a huge salary. Together with his, the City pays over $100,000 for its "chief executive" function -- and much more than that sum if Lore Chambers and other persons in the mayor's office are included. In fact, the mayors office has become a larger part of the budget than road replacement.
The comment at 10:08 is on the mark -- Salisbury should switch to the "Council-Manager" form of government, with a figurehead mayor, like most cities of similar size across the US have done. When the Council tried to do that, Barrie and her monions defeated the move, but now it would probably pass in an Eastern Shore second.
I'll vote for a mayoral candidate who pledges to work to change away from the "strong mayor" system that has run Salisbury into the ground.
Other "Council-Manager" towns include Fruitland, Ocean City, Rockville, Hagerstown, etc. -- the only remaining "strong-mayor" cities of any size in Maryland are Salisbury, Frederick and Annapolis, all of which have had chaotic government in recent years.
"Or you have to be extraordinarily devoted to the city and be willing to take a massive pay cut to do the job."
11:31, you're right that that quote can apply to Jim Ireton, but let's be fair. The quotation can just as aptly be ascribed to Mayor Tilghman. Whether you like her style of governing or not, she most definitely is devoted to this city.
How many people would take the job at the current salary is they did not have the welfare of the city at heart? On top of all the duties that she has, she also must endure the endless disaraging remarks that come her way. Being able to survive all this takes a bigger man--or woman--than most of us could ever be. Let's end 2008 by giving "Her Honor" the due that she deserves even if we don't agree with her.
If the folks that run the Parsons Cemetery have revoked Bubba Comegys' parking permit there, they better be ready to catch some _hit if he becomes "R Necks Mare".
Anonymous said...
The pay needs to be in line with the jobs responsibilities.
The bottom line is we need a city manager who runs the day to day operations and the mayor should be a figure head as in other towns such as Dover, Seaford, etc.
10:08 AM
That is called the Council/Manager form of government such as what Wicomico County had at one time. I do think the county should go back to that.
Anonymous said...
I gotta say, I am not a fan of the mayor, but the job really is a huge one, and $25,000 a year does not come close to representing the work that the mayor has to do...
10:45 AM
My suggestion is to raise it to approximately $100,000 a year and do away with Jon Prick and Loray Chamberpots. The Mayor's position should be full time and there is no need for the city administrator or the newly created assistant administrator. By the way the assistant's position was created by the mare herself. How can someone go from a part time grants writer to one of the highest ranking positions in the city? On another note how many grants did the the city receive while she was in that position?
$0
And who is in that grants writer position now?
$25,000.00 is a joke.
A pay raise for mayor is not the answer. Having a mayor that works for the city and the people is what we need. Jim Ireton might be a good canidate for the position, but is not the answer. Salisbury needs someone does not have his or her own agenda someone that is willing to give up his pay for the betterment of the city, like to the school board. The children of salisbury need after school programs to keep them off the street that is the kind of mayor that is needed for salisbury. I have spoken to one person that has pledged to do this.
Anonymous said...
A pay raise for mayor is not the answer....
3:47 PM
With all do respect I have to disagree with you. A pay raise for the Mayor is the answer, but not for the mare!
Salisbury will continue to sink deeper into the s-hole unless and until its governmental structure is changed to the Council-City Manager form that has been recommended by two different Charter Review Committees during the past 20 years.
After he left office, Mayor Martin recommended that change. Let's hope that Ireton will support that if he is elected -- how about a comment, Jim!
Comegys is on record in favor of the current screwed up system. If he is elected the term FOB will mean "friend of Bubba" and he will be accorded a parking permit at the Parsons Cemetery.
10:45 has a point. I always say you get what you pay for and we got ain't worth a crap floating down the Wicomico
When did after school programs become the responsibility of the city? After school programs are nothing more than daycare just like Mitchells martial arts...it's daycare. Be home when your kids come home or arrange for someone to be there quit relying on everyone else to raise and/or entertain your kids for you while you work.
$25000.00 for WHAT ? I know construction workers who do a hell of alot more for our city who get alot less than that. Why is a "paper pushers" job so hard. If you have the gift of gab and can b.s. alot you can do her job!
What she (and many others it seems) dont know is that the very thing she calls work , construction guys do to pass the time whole they are doing "real" work.
Salisbury, as well as wico county, Governmental pay cuts across the boards is well over due.
Hire a mexican for the mayors position and we will have a mayor that rises with the sun and goes home at dusk, never complains(at least in english) and will work their azzes off the entire time.
JOSE for MAYOR !
Like the woman or not will we say the same for the next mayor, if they ask for a pay increase? 25,000 a year for a mayor of a metroplitan area is shameful. How are we going to attract someone that can get the job done when all we offer are crumbs. I may not agree on how the city is run but this if true has got to change period.
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