More Than Half of Local Politicians Accept or Consider Pay Freeze—Darden and St. Lawrence: "No thanks, we’ll pass."

March 23, 2009  In a Journal News feature article, Len Maniace writes, "Faced with a crumbling national economy, a number of top municipal administrators around the Lower Hudson Valley are foregoing pay raises this year. More than half the municipalities and school districts responding to an informal survey by The Journal News said their top officials were considering or already had agreed to do without raises." Two high-profile officials (Mayor of Spring Valley and Supervisor of Ramapo), with two of the heftiest compensation packages, have decided to forego the idealism.

An economic TET Assault
Not just in our area, but across the country, politicians cite the crushing "tough economic times" as reason for pay freezes or even give-backs.

In the state of Ohio there will be no pay raises for any this year—from the governor to state lawmakers, to county and township elected officials. In the state of Washington, the decision to "freeze the pay for almost 500 elected officials in the state came after some debate on whether to offer a small increase for judges next year. That suggestion was voted down. (The Seattle Times)." Governor Chris Gregoire, in her current two-year budget proposal, "asks teachers and state workers to forego salary increases that had been negotiated earlier." In Michigan, state officials have not had pay increases in 6 years and now there’s a 10% cut for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, state lawmakers, and Supreme Court justices. Governor Jennifer Granholm has already said she will write a check to the state treasury equal to 10% of her pay.

Even in localities where raises are approved for officials, the amounts are likely to be in the range of national averages for other workers (about 3-4%). That’s what the elected officials will be getting this year in Arkansas. Governor Beebe, however, has declined to accept the raise.

For the average worker who is feeling the brunt of the recession, the average raise for this year, if there is one at all, will be less than last year. Mercer LLC, a division of Marsh & Mclennan Companies, which studies compensation, reports, "According to the 2008/2009 US Compensation Planning Survey, US employers plan to award average pay increases of 3.7 percent in 2009." Hewitt Associates, which creates the same profiles, has arrived at exactly the same number, 3.7%--an average that includes executive and management levels as well as trades, production, and service.

All of which makes the decisions of Supervisor St. Lawrence and Mayor Darden surprising. In the Journal’s database of officials, the following entries were listed for the two:

St. Lawrence's salary increased by $6,164 this year. In 2008, he earned $123,287. The increase was part of a 5 percent pay raise that he and Town Board voted for themselves. He said he would not consider a salary freeze.

George Darden: Salary $102,650. In April, prior to a vote approving the 2008-2009 village budget, Spring Valley’s Mayor George Darden promised constituents he would cut his salary by "at least $20,000" in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Darden is the highest-paid mayor in Rockland, and it is a full-time position. When he was asked about his promise last year to reduce his salary, Darden said he would give the matter "serious consideration."
"It depends on how badly it’s needed," he said.

Actually, St. Lawrence has voted himself an annual raise that has doubled the national average every year he has been in office. In 2003, the supervisor’s salary was $90,694. At the beginning of 2009 it is $129,510. That’s a 42.4% increase over the last 6 years St. Lawrence has been in office—an average annual raise of 7.06%--just about double the rate for executives, managers, sales and service people throughout the country. Compare that to a neighboring Town Supervisor.

The Orangetown Town Supervisor Tom Kleiner is also in the Journal database:

Kleiner will receive a salary of $104,503 when the 2009 fiscal year begins, a 2.5 percent raise. That raise, down from a 4 percent proposal, was also given to the department heads. The health insurance contribution increased from 10 percent to 15 percent.

　So here in Ramapo the taxpayers are treated to the spectacle of the county’s most expensive mayor doing a fast backpeddle dragging one appreciable sack of swag for a man of his years. Expect him to soon answer his question "It depends on how badly it’s needed" and by whom it might be most needed—by the taxpayers or George.

In Ramapo there will be an even rarer spectacle—a silent Supervisor St. Lawrence, wordlessly just shaking his head. And behind him a row of board members doing their best bobblehead imitation.

Michael Castelluccio