Quincy, Massachusetts mayor's proposed 79% pay raise clears biggest hurdle, set for final vote
QUINCY - There were millions of dollars of budget items approved at the Quincy Finance Committee meeting Monday night, but the marquee debate came over the mayor's proposal to give himself a pay raise for the first time in a decade.
Mayor Thomas Koch is a longtime mayor of Quincy who, months ago, hired a firm to look over the numbers when it comes to the salary of the mayor and city council members.
$285,000 salary proposed
Right now, Mayor Koch makes just over $155,000 a year but he introduced a proposal to increase that annual salary by 79% to $285,000. The firm found that the mayor of Quincy could be making up to $370,000 a year. Koch's team viewed his proposal as a compromise.
"We find the number to be fair, reasonable, and in line with a number of other communities, if not today, then in the next year or two," said Christopher Walker who is the mayor's chief of staff. "This job is a 24/7 job. There are no vacation days or sick time. The mayor is the mayor."
Walker made the case several times Monday that it was important to note this pay raise is for the position and not the person.
Quincy residents protest proposed raise
People who gathered out front to protest the pay raise pushed back against that claim, questioning why the pay increase would take effect at the beginning of the new year instead of the new mayoral term.
"He never talked about his salary as a campaign issue," said Quincy resident Claire Fitzmaurice. "This idea that they have to float a really high salary to get quality candidates is simply not true."
All but one city council member voted to move this proposal out of the finance committee and to the city council for final approval. It's worth noting that in Quincy, the finance committee is made up solely of city council members. The city council is expected to approve it in two weeks.
"I am deeply disappointed in the city council's spineless vote in favor of this outrageous amount of money," said Claire Fitzmaurice.
"No one in the private sector gets a raise like that in one year," said Kathleen Kelly. "I think it's outrageous."