Council approves salary for first elected mayor in East Providence

Will receive $90,000 in addition to benefits associated with other department directors

By Mike Rego
Posted 11/22/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — With far less fanfare on the subject than at previous meetings, the City Council during its Tuesday night, Nov. 21, forum unanimously approved setting the initial salary figure …

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Council approves salary for first elected mayor in East Providence

Will receive $90,000 in addition to benefits associated with other department directors

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — With far less fanfare on the subject than at previous meetings, the City Council during its Tuesday night, Nov. 21, forum unanimously approved setting the initial salary figure for the first duly elected mayor of East Providence at $90,000.

Determining the salary for the elected mayor position was seen as an important step to take prior to the end of the calendar year, including by the resolution’s sponsor At-Large member Jim Briden. Mr. Briden in earlier discussions noted while it may not be the sole factor in deciding one’s candidacy, it was still a key one.

The council’s move last Tuesday could also be viewed as integral to how a campaign will be financed. Any prospective candidate who was awaiting word on the mayor’s salary now has the opportunity to conduct fundraising activities in both 2017 and 2018, an important distinction for contribution limits.

The creation of the strong mayor position came about when residents voted 73-27 percent in November 2016 for the change in the city’s governance from that of manager-council. Following the seating of a Charter Review Commission earlier in 2017, voters subsequently by similar percentages just this month passed six amendments to the city’s legislative document proposed to align it with the switch in administrative structure.

Voters as well as the charter commission agreed to authorize the council, through the resolution process, to determine the salary of the mayor, something the body can approve by a simple majority, which it did last Tuesday night.

The council, in a 4-0 vote, backed the proposal put on the floor by Mr. Briden, who unironically will go down as the city’s last appointed or “ceremonial” mayor. The body did so with an important caveat. Besides the $90,000 annual salary, the resolution included the phrase, “and all other ancillary benefits of employment enjoyed by department heads.”

Mr. Briden and City Solicitor Greg Dias pointed out, other ancillary benefits would be health and dental care currently afforded to the city’s department directors as well as any retirement/pension stakes they receive.

As for other so-called “perks,” like the potential payment for use of a vehicle, those expenditures would be left to the discretion of the mayor once seated and based on the budget set for the office by the council.

After having considered setting up a staffing structure for the administrative branch, the council eventually decided to only propose and pass an annual appropriation for the mayor’s office, which the body will do initially during the 2018-19 budget season next fall. The mayor will be then be allowed to allocate those monies at his or her choosing.

The $90,000 sum came from statistics provided by state-appointed Municipal Finance Director Paul Luba, whose opinion and advice the council solicited. According to Mr. Luba, $90,000 was the average pay for elected mayors around the state. Providence, at approximately $115,000 per year, pays the most while Woonsocket, at $78,000, pays the least.

For perspective, as noted during a previous council meeting, similar elected-mayor municipalities around the state like Warwick and Cranston have annual budgets for the office of some $500,000. The current chief executive allocation for the office of city manager in East Providence is approximately $260,000.

Voters will select the first elected mayor of the city in November 2018. The position will be seated in January of 2019, an amendment in the inauguration date from December following the election also recently proposed by the charter commission and backed by voters.

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