Denver’s council may be done with the issue of a 6.6 percent pay raise for future elected officials, but one councilwoman is determined to keep the issue alive.
Councilwoman Carol Boigon, who is running for mayor, will begin a petition drive today asking candidates for the city’s elected offices to reject the pay raises that were voted into law.
Boigon’s petition drive, announced by her campaign, is addressing the issue that created a public outcry over the wage increase.
Boigon voted against the proposal and appeared on a national television news show to decry the move.
“This is giving people a vehicle to express their point of view,” she said. “I am doing this because I am hearing from lots of people; I feel this pent-up concern.”
The council on March 21 approved the raise that will be delayed for the first two years of the four-year term, kicking in with a 3.3 percent raise in July 2013 and the second part of the raise in July 2014.
Raises will be given to council members, the mayor, auditor, and clerk and recorder. Every elected position, including all 13 council members, is up for election May 3.
Denver is the only large city in Colorado that pays its council members a salary of more than $15,000 a year for service. City Council members earn $78,173 a year, plus about 30 percent more in benefits. The raise will give council members an annual salary of $83,332 by July 2014. The council president makes about $10,000 more.
The mayor’s salary will grow to $155,211 from $145,601.
Salaries of the clerk and recorder and the auditor will rise to $134,235 from $125,924.
City law requires the council every four years to set the salaries for the incoming officials. The council hasn’t had a raise in four years.
“This is a good message to our community that we are in this with them and we respect their situation and we are going to be sensitive and honor their needs,” Boigon said.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
