With a second round of concession talks with city unions slated for Friday, Mayor Art Ward said tonight he would push for pay cuts for the mayor and city councilors “to demonstrate that we’re in this together.”
Ward said the city’s top elected officials should accept a 5 percent pay cut for the coming two years.
That would slice the mayor’s salary by $5,000 annually and snatch $500 a year from each of the six city councilors.
It’s move the mayor opposed less than two months ago, when he fought to freeze pay rather than slice salaries by 3 percent as city Councilor Cliff Block proposed.
“I guess I did have a great idea,” Block said Thursday, adding that he appreciated Ward’s change in position since the mayor would take the biggest hit of any official.
The mayor, who made the announcement during a speech at Nuchies declaring his candidacy for a second term, said he would be “sitting down” with municipal unions Friday morning.
They will be “talking about the potential for givebacks,” Ward said, that could help him close a $1.8 million budget gap that might otherwise require layoffs to close.
That the unions are willing to negotiate, Ward said, “speaks well for our opportunities” to reach an agreement that would help taxpayers.
Still, he said, “I don’t know what will come of that” session with union leaders.
Ward said he is determined to do whatever he can to freeze property taxes this year, a move that “is not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.”
Ward, a Democrat, blocked the effort to cut elected officials’ pay when he joined city Councilors Frank Nicastro and Mike Rimcoski in pushing instead for a pay freeze.
Block and two other city councilors, Ken Cockayne and Kevin McCauley, favored the 3 percent cut.
The council couldn’t reach a decision in March because one of its members, Craig Minor, was absent, leaving the others deadlocked at 3-3.
It doesn’t appear there will be opposition to the 5 percent cut now that Ward is on board with it.
Under the law, the mayor and council cannot set their own salaries. They have no power to reduce their pay immediately because it was set by those in power in 2007.
The proposal pushed by the mayor would reduce pay for those elected this coming November.
Current pay for city leaders
Mayor - $102,025
City councilors - $10,156
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
31 comments:
Oh yeah, he is only doing this so he can get re-elected. Some piece of work you are Mayor. Of course your wife works for the BOE full medical insurance, you get full medical insurance - so sure taking a pay cut won't hurt you. The rest of the taxpayers trying to make ends meet doesn't care.
A 5% cut is better than no pay at all, isn't it Artie?
One tenth of one percent of the shortfall.
What about the rest?
Not including the mayor, leave the Council pay alone yet increase their hours so they can do an effective job and no let this town turn into Waterbury or New Britain.
GASB 45 GASB 45 GASB 45 GASB 45 =
No tax increase, better bond ratings (less interet the city has to pay from taxes for borrowing), helps the unionites secure their free medical benefits after they retire, and is generally a win for all. The problem is the ingorance of Rimcoski Nicastro and the Mayor as to the multiple benefits this has to Bristol.
BTW...Rimcoski...change your registration...you are no Republican ...you are worse then Arlan.
Won't make any difference, he ain't going to get reelected anyway!
9:02 - thank you for the surprise of the election campasign, U don't like ward - surprise, surprise, surprise.
oh, did I forget to tell you -surprise, surprise, surprise?
oh, don't forget to remind everyone that you love to surprise, surprise, surprise.
surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise,
The only thing that I am surprised at is your ability to surprise, surprise, surprise.
9:02 - yawn, yawn, yawn
Hate to break it to you 9:02, but I don't think he's going to have to work that hard to get re-elected.
The real question about insurance is. Is the city paying for insurance on his wife and him as seperate employes at the same time. Or is he double dipping on the insurance. Perhaps the Mayor is a better man then I think he is and said from the start I will not waste the taxpayers money. If that were the case then he said no to the taxpayers paying so he can have double insurance coverage on his family.
I see a white horse in the distance...Who can it be?????
now if he didn't take a pay cut - you idiots would be blasting him because he didn't - now that he has, you are blasting him because he did - this is the reason that it is so obvious that the local gop is confused and running amok - hey, what have the republicans offered up to save the city? I forgot, they gave us ken johnson as their sacrificial lamb for two years, great political strategy - not.
He should take a 50% cut.
I wonder what Rimcoski is going to do? He voted no when McCauley, Block and Cockayne wanted to lower the pay by 3%. Will he now vote yes because Ward tells him to?
Rimcoski is Wards lap dog. Dr. No but he votes yes for raises and no for pay cut! Can't have it both ways Mikey. You either want to help taxpayers or you don't.
The Principals and Vice principals schould also take a pay cut especially the superintdent.Also the board of Ed.
Mayor is doubling dipping on insurance. He and his wife get full medical benefits - must be nice for them. I have no insurance coverage because I can't afford it. Maybe the Mayor should drop his medical or his wife - any city employee who has a husband/wife working for the city should not both have medical coverage. Wasting our tax dollars even more.
Whew said: "now if he didn't take a pay cut - you idiots would be blasting him because he didn't - now that he has, you are blasting him because he did"
Exactly right! And this is the same reason why I suspect the union's won't give any concessions either because you people will hate them either way. They'll be damned if they don't and if they do they'll be damned because whatever they give it won't be perceived as "enough" unless they include their 1st born children.
8:44: Republicans offered up the GASB45 solution, one that would cost taxpayers nothing and would allow union members to collect the same amount of money...yet we would save millions. Seems like an incredibly good idea, but yet so many people hear "republicans propose...." and completely tune out. If everyone would open their ears perhaps they would hear a good idea, instead of asking ignorant questions like "what have they proposed?"
Now he can say he was for it and against it.
6:10
Free medical benefits to them, NOT TO THE TAXPAYER.
Mr. Ward, quit borrowing(for lack of a better term) ideas from these message boards!!
Ya know, it would be really nice, if for once...just ONCE, we had a Mayor that could actually think for themselves, be creative and think outside the box to resolve the issues that face our Town.
We need change NOW. We don need someone who just follows the status quo, borrow others ideas and is afraid to take calculated risks in order for things to change.
Just for the record, we had the idea of cutting your salary the day you became Mayor.
Do you honestly think we are dumb enough to elect you again???
The Good Ole Boys are out this time. People are fed up and we aren't going to let you take our town to hell in a handbasket.
The only paycut your getting is 100%!!! And like the saying goes, don't let the door hit you in the a$$.
Oh, and I'm a Democrat. But if my only Dem choice is you, I'd rather vote for Mickey Mouse.
How's them apples?
Ward is laughing at us all - as he collects his big fat check. Seems his check matches his head these days.
8:05 - self-explanatory - confusing huh?
"But if my only Dem choice is you, I'd rather vote for Mickey Mouse.
How's them apples?"
Then you're in luck! Mickey mouse pretty much sums up the republicans tiny pool of possible candidates...they're all pretty much cheese eaters anyway!
Oh, them apples are just delicious!HAHAHAHAHAHA!
8:10, Actually, it's you he's probably laughing at, along with rest of us. You must have a morbidly obese head to come up with these third grade level jabs.
8:05 - you really under estimate mayor ward because I truly believe that he can think for himself and that his thoughts of non-productive dunderheads like you would be that you are real jerks - he'd be right on also.
Have a sparkling day honey.
"I see a white horse in the distance...Who can it be?????"
If it is who I think it is, that's an ass, not a horse! ;0)
I use "third grade jabs" because I want to present them at your level of understanding.
1:05, Good for you! Keep reaching for third grade level. You're almost there!
1:05 should indeed push for the third grade level, been in the second grade level for the past 8 years - will be great for him to give up his space to someone capable of learning.
Cut my pay but don't cut my Internet privileges!
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