Denver Mayoral Race: ISSUES: Pay Raise for Elected Officials
Earlier this year, Denver City Council members approved a 6.6 percent pay raise for elected city officials. The raise would not go into effect for two years, with half of it going into effect in July 2013 and the remaining half going into effect in July 2014. At that point, the mayor’s annual salary would be set at a little more than $155,000; city clerk and auditor and recorder at about $134,000; and City Council members around $83,000.
Mayoral candidate Michael Hancock was among City Council members who voted for the pay raise.
The following insights into how each candidate stands on the pay raise issue are gathered from comments made at two recent campaign events or published on-line or in printed campaign materials.
We’ve also included “Experience Potentially Related to this Issue” to note any job experience that might impact a candidate’s position. Candidate names are listed in the order in which they appear on the ballot.
Michael Hancock
Bottom line:
The City Council voted for a raise for elected city officials that will not go into effect for two years and can be revisited if the city’s budget is not recovered by then. It’s important that City Council members be paid fairly for their service so they can afford to serve. As mayor, he will refuse this pay raise.
On his campaign website:
Under “Clear the Air” in the post “Hancock refutes Romer attack ad,” Hancock states:
• The City Council has a legal responsibility to ensure that city employees’ wages are competitive with city employees of other comparable cities. [Former Mayor John] Hickenlooper’s pay-for-performance bonus program was not adequately addressing this responsibility. The funds were simply redirected back into a merit-pay program to ensure wages were comparable and did not have any impact on the bottom line of the budget.
• The City Council did not “break” the budget. Council members simply addressed a pay structure issue within the budget. This vote to transfer funds from a bonus pay program to a merit pay plan did not increase the bottom line of the 2008 budget.
• City Council voted for a pay freeze until 2013 for the next term of elected officials to allow for the economy to recover—only then will all elected officials' pay begin to incrementally increase (Council Bill 11-0152). Elected officials are prevented by law from voting themselves a pay raise (Section 9.2.2, Denver City Charter). A sitting Council is obligated by law to set the salaries for the next Council and other elected officials. Pay for elected leaders will have remained flat for six years when the recently approved adjustment takes effect in 2013 e (Council Bill 11-0152).
• Hancock will not take the raise as mayor.
• Hancock will not receive this raise as a city councilman.
• [At the Denver Post/9News Forum earlier this year], Hancock said he could foresee a cost of living increase for city workers in 2012. The law requires the City Council to keep wages competitive for all city employees and elected officials. Hancock foresees a cost of living increase as the economy stabilizes and recovers.
In his campaign flyer:
No mention of pay raise issue
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
At the April 6 event, asked fellow Council member Carol Boigon how she could deny middle-income council members like him who are trying to support their families a raise when she can afford to loan her campaign $100,000.
Issue-related comments:
In a Colorado Independent article on candidate/council members’ statements regarding the pay raise, Hancock was quoted as saying that as mayor, he would not accept the pay raise he voted to approve. He added, however, that it would be a mistake to let “public service or politics become a playground for only the rich,” and that all Denver citizens should be able to afford working full-time on the City Council.
In the March 16 Denver Post article “Pay-raise issue divides mayoral field,” Hancock is quoted as saying the City Council approached the issue of a pay raise carefully and delayed it by two years, allowing the issue to be “revisited if the city’s budget has not recovered” by that time.
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• City Councilman 2003-Present
--President 2006-2008
--Business, Workforce, & Sustainability Committee, Co-Chair
--Economic Development Committee, Former Vice-Chair
--Finance Committee, Former Member
Chris Romer
Bottom line:
City leaders ought to focus on protecting city services, not raising their own salaries
On his campaign website:
In the Romer site’s “Recent Updates” section, a page marked March 24 entitled “My Fiscal Responsibility Vision for Denver” states: “With a $100 million budget deficit, we need to be focused on protecting vital city services, not pay raises for elected officials.”
In his campaign flyer:
No mention of pay raise issue
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
Signed Carol Boigon’s petition against pay raises for city officials on stage at April 6 event
Issue-related comments:
In the March 16 Denver Post article “Pay-raise issue divides mayoral field,” Romer is quoted as saying the budget shortfall makes this “a tough time to explain pay raises for elected officials, even if they are delayed.”
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• Senator 2007-2010
• Experience as a public finance banker for 25 years
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