City's Top Pols to Vote On 39 Percent Pay Raise

Hefty pay increases may be in store for Cambridge's nine city councilors when local lawmakers take fiscal matters into their own hands next week.

The councilors, who have the privilege of setting their own salaries, may take action which would raise their annual incomes 39 percent--from $18,000 to $25,000--if they pass an ordinance at their regularly scheduled meeting next Monday night.

The increase, retroactively effective to the beginning of this year, would also increase the mayor's salary from $19,000 to $26,000.

"[A city councilor's job] probably is worth more than $25,000 judging from the time they put in," said City Manager Robert W. Healy, who drafted the proposal. "There's no empirical set of studies to back that, but I think $25,000 will do."

Healy said that the workload for a Cambridge lawmaker has increased tremendously since 1984 when the city councilors approved their last pay increase. At that time, Cambridge's nine legislators voted for a 20 percent increase.

Under Cambridge's Plan E form of government, the nine-member elected body establishes policy while the appointed city manager handles administrative and fiscal affairs on a daily basis. Cambridge's mayor is selected by the nine councilors from among it members and plays a largely ceremonial position.

The proposed increases, which have generated little debate so far, passed before the council twice this year as required by the city charter. But City Councilor David E. Sullivan last week requested a report from the city manager outlining recent salary increases for other Cambridge employees.

"I'm only going to vote for it to the extent that other [city] employees' salaries go up as much," Sullivan said last night.

The liberal Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) councilor also said that the proposed pay raise is also inappropriate at this time with federal funding to cities in the next few years at jeopardy.