A $32,000 raise for Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey was approved by the Denver City Council on Monday night. Morrissey’s salary has remained at $144,720 for the past four years.
But some council members took umbrage at the way Morrissey’s office tried to sell the salary increase.
The issue sharply divided the group, with council president Jeanne Robb and council members Jeanne Faatz and Carla Madison dissenting from the majority. Councilman Rick Garcia was absent.
At one point, Councilwoman Judy Montero seemed ready to vote no, too. She took exception to comments from Steve Siegel, the district attorney’s director of special programs.
Siegel told the council the state picks up 80 percent of the minimum salary the state requires municipalities to pay district attorneys.
Under that formula, the city will have to pick up only $5,880 of the salary increase in 2009. Morrissey’s salary also would increase by $10,000 in 2010, and by that same amount in 2011 and 2012, but again the city would pay only $2,000 each year for the incremental increases with the state paying the rest.
Those details didn’t quell the concerns of some council members, who saw the overall salary projection of $207,000 in 2012 as too much. They were especially concerned because Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is asking police officers to lower their negotiated salary contracts for next year by 2 percent.
“It’s important that the elected officials not be treated better than the rank and file,” Faatz said.
Siegel noted that the district attorney in Fort Collins, which is half the size of Denver and has a lower crime rate, is projected to receive close to the same amount as the $207,000 Morissey would be paid in 2012. Other top prosecutors in comparable cities make “substantially more” than Morrissey, he said.
He added that he “would hate to set up a situation where we would lower the expectations and make this more about politics and less about professionalism.”
That phrase angered Montero, who challenged Siegel to “please explain what you were talking about because that really bothers me.” After he tried to explain that he felt it was unfortunate that the salary discussion had become so public, she wasn’t soothed.
“I’m trying very hard to make the right decision and for you to say we are reducing this to politics is inappropriate,” she said.
“It has to do with the time and trying to balance out the equity behind different careers that people have,” Montero said. “I want to clarify that and explain to you, that for me, it’s not about just making a decision that will help get me re-elected.”
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
