Denver City Council member Albus Brooks was among the majority who voted last week to give themselves, the mayor and other city officials a 10.3 percent raise, phased in over two years. (AAron Ontiveroz, Denver Post file)
Re: “Denver City Council gives initial OK to 10.3% raises, now phased in,” Jan. 27 news story.
While the Denver city charter specifies that the City Council has the job of approving salary increases for future council members and the mayor, perhaps this rule needs to be changed. Having the City Council approve raises for their future peers and their boss seems to be a definite conflict of interest. This is especially true given that the council recently gave initial approval to the maximum 10 percent raise. What kind of message does that send to residents of Denver?
This function should really be handled by a committee whose members are a combination of city employees and general residents who have no direct financial interest in this decision.
I’m concerned that many more people will now try to run for City Council, not so much for having a deep interest in making Denver a better city, but rather for an attractive salary.
Lee Sherman,Denver
This letter was published in the Feb. 5 edition.
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