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Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

60 city workers make more than WR mayor

WARNER ROBINS — Here’s more ammo for officials pushing to give the mayor a raise: If the salary is set at $50,000, the city’s new leader would make less than dozens of other city employees — including his executive assistant.

According to information obtained by The Telegraph, finding a way to leave the mayor’s salary at $100,000 keeps him as the highest paid city official. At $50,000, the compensation falls below 60 other city employees, including the city’s department heads. For example, Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans, currently the highest paid city employee at $96,918.02 annually, would earn 94 percent more than the mayor.

Among the other employees receiving more compensation than the mayor is longtime executive assistant Faye Coulter in the mayor’s office. She is paid $62,903.98 annually.

“It just proves my point that the salary should be raised,” said Councilman Clifford Holmes Jr., who says he voted to raise the mayor’s salary before he decided to run for the office in Tuesday’s election.

The council addressed the raise in January 2008, just after all members of the current board were seated. The raise passed with opposition from sitting Mayor Donald Walker, who contended that the money wasn’t the reason he ran the city. The council brought up the idea of raising the salary to $125,000 over the summer, but that proposal failed to get the needed number of votes.

At a meeting in September, Walker told the council in a closed meeting that they had incorrectly raised his pay, citing the fact that an ordinance was not drawn up and no public hearings were held.

Mayor John Havrilla has said he took the lower of the two salaries when he became mayor late last month after Walker’s death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, because the outstanding issue had not been resolved.

Most mayors in the region make significantly less than Warner Robins’ leader, but they also don’t operate on a strong mayor form of government. Under a strong mayor form, the mayor has veto powers, as well as the ability to make decisions without a vote by the City Council.

The outcome of the investigation into the salary will affect the three candidates vying for the mayor’s office, who say while they’re not in the race for the money, the leader of Warner Robins deserves better compensation.

“It’s not about the money,” said mayoral candidate Chuck Chalk. “It’s a question of honoring that position. And you need to be able to attract and retain good candidates.”

Candidate Chuck Shaheen said he’s thought about how the salary, lower than what he currently makes as a pharmaceutical sales representative, would affect his family. “Our family would have to learn how to live within our means,” Shaheen said. “We hope it’s not (staying at $50,000). The pay should be commensurate to the job description.”

To contact writer Marlon A. Walker, call 256-9685.