The mayor’s $180,000 a year salary story in last week’s newspaper produced a howl of sentiment from hundreds of readers of the Leader Herald’s print and online editions.
Mostly there was great surprise that so much could paid in one year to one man running a small American city like Everett.
During the past ten years of the mayor’s rule his salary has gone from the $80,000 a year level to the near astounding $180,000+ plateau.
We suggest urgently that the city council consider capping the mayor’s salary for atleast five years.
Either cap it, or reduce it to $140,000 a year.
That amount is enough to run a city of 44,000 in our opinion.
The mayor repeatedly touts himself as a millionaire many times over.
His various side businesses, including an alleged four donut shops, should leave him more than enough to extend the lavish lifestyle he leads.
We are not against this mayor or any mayor living a lavish, private lifestyle.
What he does with his own money is his own business.
Receiving more than $180,000 a year in a city where the median income is about 1/4 of that is an insult to everyone living here and working for a living or just trying to survive.
Households in Everett have a median annual income of $52,457, which is less than the median annual income in the United States.
The poverty rate here affects 14.6% of the population.
The mayor lives in what is arguably the highest priced, largest single family home in the city.
His love is for late model high performance Mercedes Benz automobiles.
He mixes in important circles in Boston By all appearances, he is doing well. He should not be enriched by being the
mayor of Everett any more than he has already been enriched.
His salary should be capped or reduced. We ask the city council to consider this. It would be the right thing to do.
The mayor could continue living quite well without receiving such a high salary the city clearly cannot afford to pay.