The outrageous cash seize by the Boston City Council is an insult to all onerous working residents of town who’re struggling and don’t have the facility to offer themselves a pay elevate.
Mayor Michelle Wu ought to instantly reject this shameful act by overpaid and underworked metropolis councilors.
Wu herself gave the council a gap for the pay elevate by proposing to extend their annual wage from $103,500 to $115,000 after the subsequent municipal election — however little did she know councilors would practically double that on Wednesday and make it a whopping 125 grand.
That’s a 20% pay hike multi functional fell swoop. When’s the final time you bought a 20% elevate?
The change additionally hikes the mayoral pay by double that, as per statute, so that can leap from $207,000 to $250,000 after the subsequent election in 2025. Wu herself didn’t ask for that enormous a rise, she initially proposed the subsequent mayor get a bump to $230,000.
Councilors and the mayor have performed nothing to justify this large pay hike. The place of metropolis councilor doesn’t even should be full time — all they do is present up each Wednesday for a gathering and go to a couple hearings a month.
Council President Ed Flynn — whose father Ray, the previous mayor, would by no means have let pathetic councilors get away with this — shut down any debate on the council flooring on Wednesday.
The solely councilors allowed to talk had been Flynn and Ruthzee Louijeune, each of whom had been in favor of the huge pay spike.
Behind closed doorways, some councilors had advocated for even larger quantities, in line with Herald reporter Sean Philip Cotter.
Hey, what’s an additional few thousand {dollars}, proper?
In addition to elected officers, the council additionally granted steep pay hikes to directors and high officers just like the police commissioner and hearth commissioner.
Now it’s as much as Wu to veto this pay hike bundle. She ought to a minimum of be considering of constituents who don’t have the facility to offer themselves a elevate, and residing paycheck to paycheck with no hope of a elevate.
Don’t maintain your breath.
Wu is a former metropolis council member herself — that’s how she obtained her begin in metropolis authorities.
She is extraordinarily in style and gained’t be up for reelection for an additional few years anyway, so by that point voters can have forgotten this shameful pay seize.
And it pays to have metropolis councilors on the mayor’s aspect. Then Wu gained’t should take heed to complaints about her finances from the likes of Ed Flynn.
Councilors needs to be thanking Wu for giving them the opening to seize a better wage.
It’s all one massive completely happy, and far richer, household.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”