Lakewood Mayor Gets Raise, Council Only Gets Frustrated

In a heated compromise, voted Monday night to increase the salary of the mayor. But the issue of pay raises for members of council was left alone. 

The mayor's position has not had a pay raise since 1991. And council hasn't had one since 1978. 

After months of deliberation, the alternative proposal was hammered out in a closed-door committee meeting Monday. A tough economy and disagreements among council members factored into the decision.

called for the mayor's salary to be increased from $75,000 to $100,000 and would have brought a council member's pay to $11,000 per year. The original proposal — based on findings from the Civil Services Commission — was changed, removing the council pay raise/health insurance component. 

The substitute proposal suggests that the mayor’s salary increase be incremental in two steps beginning January 2012 (the start of the next mayoral term), boosting the mayor’s pay to $90,000 and again in 2016 to $100,000.

While a pay raise for the mayor was approved, the future of a pay raise for council remains uncertain.

Council agreed that some changes needed to be made, but the details were a sticking point.

“I am not finished talking about council salaries,” said Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Louise Madigan. “This was a difficult decision, perhaps the most difficult in the history of this council and versions of this council.”

At-large Councilwoman Monique Smith said she was frustrated with the way discussions went and described parts of the discussion as “offensive.”

"I don't think this is a dead issue," she said.

At-large Councilman Brian Powers, who cast the only vote against the mayor's pay raise, said he hoped to have the original proposal on the table.

"At least we should have voted yes or no," he said. "I am disappointed that we’re not going to."

Council President Kevin Butler, who initiated the proposal before , said he “was not optimistic” about the future of a council salary raise agreement.

"We had been discussing this very vigorously for two months," he said. "I think we had the political courage to do something, and I am glad we did — particularly with respect to the mayor's salary — which was terribly low. I am disappointed that council members didn't support an adjustment to compensation offered to the office of council. But we'll move. We'll try to figure something else out — either now, or two years down the road."

said that he may turn down the salary increase if he is re-elected in November — based, he said, on the city's financial situation at that time.

"The issue is what's the right thing for the city of Lakewood as it pays its mayor longterm," he said. "If you take a longterm view — five to 10 years — the mayor of Lakewood is one of the lower paid mayors in the Cleveland area."

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