Skip to content
Politics
Link copied to clipboard

City officials give and take on cost-of-living $

A majority of City Council members say they'll refuse a cost-of-living raise they are slated to receive today. While the city faces harsh economic times, Mayor Nutter, Council and other elected officials are entitled to a 1.9 percent cost-of-living increase under a 2003 law. According to Finance Director Rob Dubow, Nutter and 19 Cabinet members and commissioners declined to take the raise,.

A majority of City Council members say they'll refuse a cost-of-living raise they are slated to receive today.

While the city faces harsh economic times, Mayor Nutter, Council and other elected officials are entitled to a 1.9 percent cost-of-living increase under a 2003 law. According to Finance Director Rob Dubow, Nutter and 19 Cabinet members and commissioners declined to take the raise,.

For the last three years, Nutter and every member of Council have given some of their salary to the city or to charity. Individual Council members' contributions back to the city - or to charity - have ranged from $1,600 to $15,000 since 2009, according to data from the City Controller's Office.

Nutter has given the most back to the city since the 2008 fiscal collapse, returning $67,068 to the general fund.

Most Council members make $117,991, but those in leadership positions make more, with Council President Anna Verna getting $148,090.

Council members had until 5 p.m. yesterday to decide whether to take the increase. Four Council members who elected to take the increase were Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Frank DiCicco and Frank Rizzo.

Three other members, Curtis Jones Jr., Jack Kelly and Joan Krajewski, did not respond by the deadline, which means the increase will automatically go into their salary for the year.

"We spend a part of our income doing our job," said Reynolds-Brown. "This is all that I do. As a single working mother taking care of both daughter and mother . . . it's not a raise it's a cost-of-living increase. I will take it."

Council spokesman Tony Radwanski said that members can decide in the future to have the raise retroactively taken out of their paychecks.

The Council members who declined the raise this year were Anna Verna, Jannie Blackwell, Darrell Clarke, Donna Reed Miller, Wilson Goode Jr., Bill Greenlee and Jim Kenney. Their money will go back into the city's general fund. Councilman Brian O'Neill decided to give back his raise after taxes.

Councilman Bill Green will donate his increase to the Catholic Charities Appeal, and Councilwoman Marian Tasco will donate hers to the Urban Affairs Coalition.