Three challengers for Council seats say no to pay raise

Three city council hopefuls have spoken out to deplore the continuing push for a pay raise by a number of sitting councillors.

A board assembled by Mayor Martin Walsh to assess an appropriate pay hike for the councillors recommended an 11 percent raise, which would bring a member’s salary to about $97,000, effective next January.

However, District 3 councilor Frank Baker objected stringently to that proposal at a hearing on Aug. 20, asserting that the proposed raise was insufficient and undervalued the councilors. Council President Bill Linehan agreed, and vowed to file a measure for a higher increase.

The subject has been fraught with discord in the past, with Walsh vetoing a council proposal to raise the current $87,500 salary to $107,000. At the hearing last Wednesday, councillors expressed frustration over a nine-year stretch without a raise, emphasizing the active role they play in shaping the city while reflecting their communities’ priorities.

Equally frustrated with the debate are Annissa Essaibi George, who is running for an at-large seat, and Andrea Campbell and Terrance Williams, who are looking to take over Charles Yancey’s District 4 seat.

In a statement this week, Essaibi George called for an end to the squabble, which has been ongoing since last fall, calling the series of proposed raises “excessive at best and irresponsible at worst.”
She said that she supports the process that the Boston Compensation Advisory Board used to reach its salary number, which was delivered at Walsh’s behest after he had vetoed the earlier proposal. But she added that she still finds the raise excessive.

Calling for the councillors to get back to work, she said, “It is long overdue for them to resolve this matter and get back to the issues that matter to us as Bostonians – improving our schools, expanding economic opportunity in all of our neighborhoods, and making our streets safer.

At the hearing, Yancey, while pointing out that such wage discussions are never pleasant, said that there are currently some 3,800 city employees with higher base salaries than city councillors.
Campbell, his more prominent challenger, told the Reporter that she firmly opposes any raise at this point.

“I did not get into public service for the paycheck, and I think the council should refocus on what’s important to Boston – as a whole and to D-4,” she said, adding that talking about council pay raises is a distraction from voters’ priorities as they struggle to make ends meet.
Campbell, too, supports an independent process for evaluating any future raises, perhaps tying it to median income, as it “takes it out of the hand of the city councillors.”

The problems with the pay raise are two-fold for Terrance Williams as he angles for the District 4 seat. He echoed Campbell’s assertion that a councillor should not be in the post for the money, and said there are more important issues to which excess funds should be funnelled.
“Why should I agree to a pay raise when there are youths out there who are suffering?” Williams asked on Monday.

However, he believes that the method through which raises should be determined should remain with councillors voting on them. But any discussions should be informed by the city’s overall budget.

A sticking point in the salary issue has been the value of a city councillor’s role, with some asserting that Boston boasts the most involved and committed of their type.

That commitment ostensibly reflects the values of their districts, said Campbell. She noted that Bostonians have consistently prioritized accessibility and accountability as they worry about housing, education, minimum wage, and access to jobs.

“The last thing they are concerned about is a pay raise,” she said.
Adam Gaffin contributed to this report.


Subscribe to the Dorchester Reporter