It makes sense to increase the salary paid to the mayor of New London, but some of the numbers councilors are tossing about appear excessive.
The salary is now set at $86,000 annually. It has not changed since voters approved a charter change that moved New London from a city manager form of government to the current system, under which the mayor is the chief executive. Daryl Justin Finizio won election in 2011 as the first mayor under the change, followed by the 2015 election of current Mayor Michael Passero.
Hiking an elected official’s pay is always politically dicey, which is why the salary has remained frozen in place.
Any increase in compensation would not take effect until after the November 2019 election. Passero, a retired New London firefighter, appears prepared to seek re-election regardless of whether the council boosts the pay. But taking a broader view of the issue, an increase in salary is warranted.
As things stand now, the New London mayor makes less money than almost every department head who works for him. If the city wants to attract quality candidates for this important job — folks willing to temporarily set aside their careers — it needs to offer a salary more commensurate with the considerable responsibilities.
Councilor Efrain Dominguez has suggested nearly doubling the pay, to $165,000. Councilor President Pro Tempore Don Venditto has tossed out the figure $135,000. The council has referred the matter to its Finance Committee.
We did a comparison and found that the pay proposed by Dominguez would make the mayor of New London the highest paid municipal chief executive in these parts. Groton pays its town manger $160,140 and Norwich its city manager $156,060. In population, both communities are significantly larger than New London.
It is also fair to note that the New London Charter change to a “strong mayor” system included a provision for a chief administrative officer. The intent was to place the mayor’s focus on proposing and implementing policies to move the city forward, including putting his or her team in place to get the job done. A chief administrative officer was included to trouble shoot and keep day-to-day operations humming.
Since the professional managers in Groton and Norwich have full responsibility for municipal management and carrying out policies set by their councils, their salaries do not appear to be an appropriate measuring stick for the New London mayor.
The $135,000 figure appears more reasonable, though even that might be high when measured against the salaries of chief elected officials in other neighboring communities which, while smaller in population, have their own significant challenges.
Our bottom line is that while the New London mayoral salary needs increasing, the council should act with moderation, yet knowing that, given political realities, the pay it sets is likely to stay fixed for years.
The Day editorial board meets regularly with political, business and community leaders and convenes weekly to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Pat Richardson, Editorial Page Editor Paul Choiniere, retired Day editor Lisa McGinley, Managing Editor Tim Cotter and Staff Writer Julia Bergman. However, only the publisher and editorial page editor are responsible for developing the editorial opinions. The board operates independently from the Day newsroom.