Monday’s City Council VOTE

A lot of concerned citizens have shared their opinions in anticipation of Monday’s City Council meeting and final vote on the proposed raises.. In case you aren’t aware, the City Council will be meeting for the last time before Summer break on Monday June 17. This will also be the last time the raise for the Mayor will be voted on.

One citizen wanted to say this to those who want to stand with us on Monday night,

“Like many Quincy residents, I oppose the proposed 79% salary increase for the mayor and proposed 58% salary increase for the city council. That DOES NOT mean that I oppose a raise for them.  It means I oppose such large raises.

I realize that they haven’t received a raise in nearly a decade. Still, raises need to be reasonable and proportionate.  To put the proposed increases in perspective, the mayor’s 79% raise is equivalent to a 6% compounded increase over 10 years.  The council's 58% raise is akin to a 4.6% compounded increase.

It’s disappointing that no citizen input on the proposed raises is allowed during the City Council meeting.  BUT we can voice our opinions in different way. Join us on Monday outside City Hall starting at 5:30 PM and at the City Council meeting at 6:30.  Our presence and our signs will speak volumes.Thank you for standing with us. 

Another person familiar to “A Just Quincy” had this to say:

”We have a government out of touch with the tax paying public. We have told the mayor and the city council repeatedly that we are against a 79% raise. We are already paying for a salary and numerous benefits-pension, health, dental, life insurance, car allowance, longevity bonus, the use of an SUV. How many Quincy taxpayers have that level of benefits? How many have a $285,000 salary?

Quincy is in debt over $1.1 billion. Quincy has a level of nepotism never seen before. Quincy has an Elder Services department being investigated by federal authorities. Quincy buys real estate high and sells low. Quincy loses millions in pension funds. Quincy mayor’s nephew detective is accused of sexting an intellectually challenged girl and is initially protected. Quincy gives favored developers tax breaks and million dollar breaks. Quincy pays a consultant to generate a study of anything but mayors to justify a 79% increase in the Quincy mayor’s salary.  

How much more will the Quincy taxpayers be asked to give? Is Quincy willing to give the mayor a 79% raise to make him the highest paid mayor in Massachusetts?”

And a final thought from one resident with strong feelings on the mayor’s proposed raise:

Like many Quincy residents, we oppose the proposed 79% salary increase for the office of the mayor and the proposed 58% salary increase for the city council salaries. To be clear, that DOES NOT mean that we oppose a raise for those positions.

We recognize that the last mayoral salary increase took effect in 2015.  Looking at the cost-of-living index (CPI), a salary of $159,216 in 2015 is the equivalent to a salary of $231,964 in 2024.  The requested $280,000 salary is well beyond these measures and even higher than the salaries of the mayors of Boston ($207k), Chicago ($221k) and even New York City ($258k) and those city populations are in the millions!
We need a reasonable and proportionate approach. Some say that these objections are politically charged, but to quote members of the city council when addressing this question, “It is not about the person, it’s about the position.” And we couldn’t agree more. Whether it’s Koch, Phelan or whatever last name may be in that position in the future, we need accountability for the tax paying citizens of Quincy.

The city council is the finance committee and the finance committee is the city council. Do you see the ripe potential for conflicts of interest here?  The only thing between the salaries of our elected representatives and their votes is themselves. This is a classic example of the foxes running the hen house and we demand accountability!
If the proposed raises are approved, it could set a challenging precedent.  We need to prevent the proposed raises from being approved and demand a more fair approach towards increasing salaries in the future. .It’s disappointing that no citizen input on the proposed raises is allowed during the City Council meeting. BUT we can voice our opinions in different way. Join us on Monday outside City Hall starting at 5:30 PM and at the City Council meeting at 6:30. Our presence and our signs will speak volumes.

Thank you for standing with us.

Mayor Wu of Boston showed a better way

Check out what Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in 2022 when she argued against raises for herself and city councilors (https://www.cbsnews.com/.../boston-mayor-michelle-wu.../).

Councilors later overrode her veto but delayed Wu's salary boost til 2026 and made their boosts take effect gradually over three years (https://www.boston.com/.../tweaking-approach-boston-city.../).

Still, what a difference from Quincy, where the mayor proposed a 79% raise for himself and 58% raises for councilors to start in January. The council voted once to approve the mayor's raise and will make a final vote on that, along with discussing and voting on their own raises, on Monday, June 17.

I'll be at City Hall that day to protest the process and the size of the raise starting at 5:30 pm. Join me! And fill out the poll at bit.ly/quincyraise if you also oppose this raise!

#quincyma #quincymassachusetts #mayoralraise #mapoli

2022 CBS News

This post was adapted from a Facebook post from Maggie McKee

Joe Murphy Letter to the Quincy Sun

Dear Editorial Department, The Quincy Sun,

I am writing to express my strong objection to the mayor’s request for an 80% raise in salary. As an elected public servant, the mayor surely knows that it is essential to strike a balance between fair compensation and responsible stewardship of public funds. Elected public servants should be compensated adequately, but we must avoid creating a financial burden for taxpayers. Allow me to elaborate on my concerns.
While I acknowledge the need to attract qualified candidates, the proposed raise is excessive for an elected official, especially one currently in office. It turns out the Quincy Charter’s Section 17A addresses this: “No increase or reduction in the salaries of mayor or city councillors shall take effect during the term in which such increase or reduction is voted.” Similarly, the Constitution prohibits the chief executive’s salary from being increased or diminished during the affected president’s term in office.

Alexander Hamilton wisely noted in Federalist Paper 73 that adjustments to elected officials’ salaries should “neither weaken his fortitude by operating on his necessities, nor corrupt his integrity by appealing to his avarice.” Simply put, the salary should not be used to push someone out or keep them in office. Adjusting the salary to keep pace with inflation is prudent, but an 80% increase damages the integrity of the office. A raise like this will also impact Quincy’s budget, which the mayor has already said will need to be cut.

Quincy’s ability to attract qualified mayoral candidates is not hindered by low salaries. For example, the mayor’s most recent opponent was qualified enough to be named a town administrator in a nearby municipality. A greater concern lies in overcoming the tyranny of incumbency, which discourages others from running for office. Despite Quincy’s historical trend of long-serving elected officials, we must recognize that public office is meant to be a temporary role, not a lifelong career. An overly generous salary could easily keep an entrenched mayor in power beyond what is best for Quincy.

Furthermore, intertwining the mayor’s salary request with the proposed 58% raise for the city council creates a conflict of interest. As Benjamin Franklin stated at the Federal Convention, “Reasons will never be wanting for proposed augmentations. And there will always be a party for giving more to the rulers, that the rulers may be able in return to give more to them.” Obviously, matters of mayoral and city councilor salaries should not be dealt with simultaneously.
Having said this, I support a modest increase in the mayoral salary. But this is not an area in which I want Quincy to set new precedents. We are the city of presidents, not the city of highly paid elected officials. We do not want to be notable for paying our mayor better than other, larger cities.

Finally, in February, the mayor said we should be prepared for a lean fiscal year with no new programs or positions. An 80% salary increase for anyone does not seem in line with a lean fiscal year. We should be putting taxpayer money into areas that better the lives of Quincy’s residents and protect its future.

Respectfully,

Joe Murphy