To be fair, Prop 410 was extremely close to passing -- so close that we all initially thought it was successful until more ballots were counted. And you might not recall, but Council Member Santa Cruz wasn't supportive of it because the pay increase was too small to make an actual impact and truly get more diverse folks in office (which was true).
Yeah, $36k seems too low to make that kind of difference. What do you think would be the salary that would allow more diverse folks to afford to be on the council? It makes sense to me to tie it to the local median income ($48k) or some other measure like that.
After reading in a recent memo from Supervisor Heinz that someone making the median wage in Pima County now cannot afford the median-priced apartment, I'm not feeling great about that approach.
Hi Curt! Alexa here - I served as the Chair of the Salary Commission this year. It’s funny you mention tying the salary of the council to median income/salary for Tucson. Initially, the commission wanted to go that route. However, the city attorney’s office shared with the commission an example of what the ballot language would look like if we tied the salaries to the median income, and I was very confusing and difficult to read. We were concerned voters wouldn’t understand what the initiative was trying to achieve. The commission wanted to tie the salaries to something that will slowly increase over time so we don’t end up in another situation where the salaries don’t increase for more than 20 years. Hope this helps explain how the proposal came to be. Thanks!
Hi, Alexa! Thanks so much for that. I read the transcript from a 2021 meeting and it was fascinating to see all the different factors the commission has to consider. If you all ever make a transcript of the meetings this time around, I'd love to read it.
Sep 13, 2023·edited Sep 13, 2023Liked by Hank Stephenson
Our Mayor and Council work incredibly hard yet their staff in most cases make more than they do. It’s only fair that these positions receive similar compensation to the department directors and city manager who report to them. “Too ambitious” ? some would say asking $120.00 a year for an online opinion newsletter is “too ambitious” but here we are.
Lol. That legit made me laugh. Fair. But you’re a lawyer — you can afford it! And unlike a product you can choose to buy, we all pay the politicians’ salaries, whether we think they deserve it or not.
Hank, I’m not a lawyer lol. But you are absolutely right, politicians don’t run a business they oversee our government which impacts everyone. If we want talented leaders who don’t have to take on second jobs and side hustles to pay their bills we have to compensate fairly this gets us closer to that.
I think the proposition is a good approach. Parody to the Board of Supervisors is fair and it resolves the problem of ending up in this same situation again in 10 -20 years. I say vote yes.
If a UPS driver makes $170,000 in salary and benefits per year, it seems that the proposed salaries are more than reasonable.
While I agree a pay increase is in order, I doubt one of this magnitude will be approved by our less than generous voters.
To be fair, Prop 410 was extremely close to passing -- so close that we all initially thought it was successful until more ballots were counted. And you might not recall, but Council Member Santa Cruz wasn't supportive of it because the pay increase was too small to make an actual impact and truly get more diverse folks in office (which was true).
Yeah, $36k seems too low to make that kind of difference. What do you think would be the salary that would allow more diverse folks to afford to be on the council? It makes sense to me to tie it to the local median income ($48k) or some other measure like that.
After reading in a recent memo from Supervisor Heinz that someone making the median wage in Pima County now cannot afford the median-priced apartment, I'm not feeling great about that approach.
Hi Curt! Alexa here - I served as the Chair of the Salary Commission this year. It’s funny you mention tying the salary of the council to median income/salary for Tucson. Initially, the commission wanted to go that route. However, the city attorney’s office shared with the commission an example of what the ballot language would look like if we tied the salaries to the median income, and I was very confusing and difficult to read. We were concerned voters wouldn’t understand what the initiative was trying to achieve. The commission wanted to tie the salaries to something that will slowly increase over time so we don’t end up in another situation where the salaries don’t increase for more than 20 years. Hope this helps explain how the proposal came to be. Thanks!
Hi, Alexa! Thanks so much for that. I read the transcript from a 2021 meeting and it was fascinating to see all the different factors the commission has to consider. If you all ever make a transcript of the meetings this time around, I'd love to read it.
Looks like the minutes/transcripts and audio files are on the clerks website! Here's the link: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/Departments/Clerks/Boards-Committees-Commissions/Boards-Commissions?run=pastminutesaudio&board=76
Yes! That's a gold mine. Thanks for sharing it.
Our Mayor and Council work incredibly hard yet their staff in most cases make more than they do. It’s only fair that these positions receive similar compensation to the department directors and city manager who report to them. “Too ambitious” ? some would say asking $120.00 a year for an online opinion newsletter is “too ambitious” but here we are.
Lol. That legit made me laugh. Fair. But you’re a lawyer — you can afford it! And unlike a product you can choose to buy, we all pay the politicians’ salaries, whether we think they deserve it or not.
Hank, I’m not a lawyer lol. But you are absolutely right, politicians don’t run a business they oversee our government which impacts everyone. If we want talented leaders who don’t have to take on second jobs and side hustles to pay their bills we have to compensate fairly this gets us closer to that.
Hi, Demion. I agree they should be paid more than they are now. What do you think would be the right salary for mayor and council?
I think the proposition is a good approach. Parody to the Board of Supervisors is fair and it resolves the problem of ending up in this same situation again in 10 -20 years. I say vote yes.