Dixon, Ulman decry economy while getting raises
UPDATE: Since I made this post on Wednesday, both Ulman and Dixon have said they'll donate their raises to charity. Dixon waited a day. As previously noted, Ulman's spokesman told me Wednesday he'll donate his raise to charity.
2009 will be the toughest year for public finance in Maryland since the early 1990s. Cuts in programs and personnel will be severe. Yet at least two sets of local leaders are collecting nice raises. Yes, the pay was set according to previously agreed-upon formulas. But this is the wrong signal to send at a time when everybody -- taxpayers, government employees and fiscal programs -- is squeezed.
"We are well aware of the tough fiscal decisions being made at both the state and local level," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said last week, while reducing bus routes in the county. Ulman is pocketing a $7,000 raise, according to The Sun.
Council Vice Chairwoman Mary Kay Sigaty is slated to take over the council's top spot for the next year, as Courtney Watson steps down.Based on the 4.9 percent increase in the area Consumer Price Index, Ulman's annual pay is to rise from $151,263 to $158,675. Council members' pay will go from $50,421 to $52,892, with the chairwoman getting an extra $1,000. That means Sigaty will get $53,892.
Watson's pay, meanwhile will rise $1,471 since she loses the chairwoman's extra pay. By comparison, county teachers, police and firefighters got 5 percent pay increases this year, while other county employees got 3 percent.
The formula for the raises is based on recommendations of a citizens committee and were approved by the last council before the November 2006 elections.
Last month Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said the city is entering a period "worse than the Depression," while she was announcing big cuts. But Dixon and the other folks running folks running Baltimore are also in the money, according to today's story by Annie Linskey.
Baltimore officials quietly granted pay raises to Mayor Sheila Dixon, Comptroller Joan M. Pratt, City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake and other council members last month, increasing politician salaries at a time when leaders are freezing pay for midlevel managers and slashing overtime for police officers and firefighters.Dixon's salary is rising from $148,000 to $151,700, while Pratt's and Rawlings-Blake's go to $100,450 from $98,000. City Council Vice President Edward Reisinger will make $64,575, up from $63,000, and the other 13 members of the council will make $58,425, a raise from $57,000.
Comments
Great! Cut the hell out of public services and police protection while at the same time giving every "higher up" a raise. This just reeks of the "I got mine so screw you attitude" prevalent in government and big business now days.
Hey Sheila, step up and give the money back until things get better.
Posted by: GCC | December 10, 2008 12:35 PM
Jay, according to the Sun article today, Ulman is giving his raise to charity
"Another local official, Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman, is also set to receive an automatic increase. Ulman, whose county is also facing fiscal shortfalls, said yesterday that he would donate his $7,000 raise to charity. "Ulman cannot in good conscience accept a pay raise when he is asking county employees to do more with less," said his spokesman, Kevin Enright, in an e-mail."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.salaries11dec11,0,2235429.story
Posted by: Me | December 11, 2008 9:09 AM
Regardless of whether the City Council donates their pay raises to charity, the City is still paying out those funds. The answer is to not allocate them, which would be in line with most company policies right now.
Posted by: Debbie | December 11, 2008 1:58 PM
Here's what we had to say at Maryland Republican Party:
Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs
ANNAPOLIS—On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Comptroller Joan Pratt and the 13 other City Council members had pay raises approved by the Baltimore City Board of Estimates, which all three of them sit on. The move was done without identifying the titles or names of those receiving a raise. This comes at a time when Mayor Dixon has not ruled out layoffs for city workers and revoked cost of living raises for middle managers.
“Once again, this is an example of Maryland Democrat leaders operating under a different set of rules than the rest of us,” said MDGOP Chairman Jim Pelura. “These raises amount to $26,250 which is a substantial amount of money to anyone who is not a big-government politician. Mayor Dixon is talking about laying off lower level city workers. I certainly think that $26,250 might save at least one job. Do as I say, not as I do is becoming a common stance in Baltimore City and the state of Maryland.”
“We need new leadership for Maryland that puts taxpayers, small businesses, and working families first. There are several leaders who have volunteered to take part in the furloughs for state employees. Mayor Dixon, Council President Rawlings-Blake, and Comptroller Pratt should follow suit and reject these pay raises,” concluded Pelura.
Posted by: Justin | December 11, 2008 2:14 PM
Who cares? Not the sheeple of Baltimore City (or Maryland for that matter), who keep voting them back in to office. They have the best government money can buy!
Posted by: Baffledbob | December 11, 2008 3:08 PM
Yeah, now the bum mayor says she is giving her raise to charity, TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! The gull and arrogance she displayed yesterday cannot and will not be forgotten , she is a truely arrogant , self obsessed person who thinks she is ENTITLED, she should be run out of office, she is a disgrace , of course it is Baltimore, you can't disgrace that city any worse than it does to itself!
Posted by: Mike B | December 11, 2008 3:25 PM
Who receives the tax benefit for the donation - the City or the elected official?
This is political grandstanding! If you are going to give it back, put back into the taxpayers coffers, or just keep it! Don't song and dance me...I hate that!
Posted by: Wallace | December 11, 2008 4:46 PM
i see the gop is at it agan if you want to know why we are in this down turn just look at the gop and how they do busness and how they gave big busness all they wanted and took it from the people and now they want to point fingers look in the the taxs cut and who they gave them to and you will see why things are the way they are and it was not done in the dark of night like they did
Posted by: james crawford jr | December 11, 2008 6:04 PM
Really, which is the bigger problem? That a county executive gets a raise in this environment, or that teachers get a 5% raise in this environment? Which is going to cause a bigger problem for the county's budget?
Which is the primary cause for the state's budget problems over the years?
Posted by: jsmith | December 11, 2008 9:08 PM
Give Mayor Dixon a break. She needs the raise to help accumulate funds for future bail and legal fees.
Posted by: Ray | December 12, 2008 4:47 AM
Dixon and others shouldn't even have the "option to donate!" That means they have accepted the raises. The raise should go back into the budget and allocated to the police department. Ridiculous! Plus Dixon stated at first,
"she had a daughter in college," well so do people that are now out of work. Then
Dixon wants to sue online hotels, etc. to get tax revenue? Aren't the raises generated by tax revenue? Vote them all out of office - when will the people of Maryland wake up!
Posted by: Arthur | December 12, 2008 9:15 AM
the mayor showed a lack of class, common sense and political savvy. basically she's a nitwit. but the majority of citizens of baltimore voted for her. so who are the real nitwits?
Posted by: fkterp | December 12, 2008 9:50 AM
Surprise, surprise! Dixon flip flopped and said she's donate her raise. I'd like to see proof of that.
Posted by: Nick R | December 12, 2008 11:05 AM