PEABODY — Since 2014, Peabody city councilors’ annual salaries have been set at a rate equal to 9 percent of the Mayor’s salary, according to ordinance Section 2-14.
This may change if the council looks favorably on a letter sent by Ward 6 Councilor Mark O’Neill to the City Council calling for the ordinance to be repealed.
The City Council has an annual review of the mayor’s salary, which O’Neill supports, but he has an issue with how it’s connected to the salaries of council members.
“In short, any change made to the mayor’s salary by the City Council also changes its own salary,” O’Neill wrote in a Dec. 1 letter. “I have been on record publicly stating that I don’t believe we should continue this and other councilors have shared similar opinions.”
Multiple reasons were stated by O’Neill as to why he wants this to change, with one being to avoid “appearances of conflict.” Uncomfortable situations in the future is also something he wants to avoid.
“A situation may arise in the future where the City Council believes the mayor’s salary should be increased by a significant percentage to remain competitive for valid reasons however some councilors may not be comfortable with also giving themselves a large pay raise,” O’Neill wrote.
O’Neill says he is not opposed to salary increases for elected officials, but it should be independent from any decisions made about the Mayor’s compensation.
“Any votes on changes to City Council salaries should be a separate roll call vote,” O’Neill wrote.
City Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin said she voted against linking the mayor’s salary with councilors back in 2013. Other councilors have expressed their discomfort with voting for their own raises, she said.
“I expressed the same concern now being shared about voting on our own raises so I’m happy to hear the thoughts of my colleagues, most of whom are new to the council but do have experience in voting in this manner for several years now,” Manning-Martin said. “So again, I am happy to hear their thoughts and it’s a worthy discussion.”
Ward 5 Councilor David Gamache made the original motion to tie the salaries together because, before 2013, raises for city councilors weren’t steady.
“I’ve got to support what was voted on in 2013. The rest of the councilors can make their own decisions as to how they want to go about doing it,” Gamache said.
It is a councilor’s “prerogative” to bring forward initiatives to make changes.
“He’s got his reasons and rightfully so. If he believes that the council shouldn’t have it tied with the main salary, he’s got every right to make the motion to move forward with it,” Gamache said. “And, you know, we agree to disagree.”
