A town mayor has turned down a huge raise, citing city issues that should come first.
The City Council of Huntington, West Virginia, wants to bump their mayor’s salary up - and we’re not just talking about pocket change: The Council plans to raise the position’s annual pay from $62,272 to $90,000 in a gradual increase over the next four years. It sounds like a pretty sweet deal to us - but the plan may face an objection from the most unlikely source: the mayor himself.
Although the city’s current mayor, David Felinton, would stand to benefit from the new arrangement, he believes that the city shouldn’t raise his pay when there are other financial needs not currently being met. “It’s tough for me to support the mayor’s position being paid more when we have so many service needs,” he told The Herald-Dispatch.
Though many City Council members feel that the increased salary will help attract a more qualified candidate when Felinton leaves office, one Councilman, Scott Caserta, takes the current mayor’s side on the issue: “I don’t think you necessarily want someone running for office who is looking at salary first,” he said. “Their heart is not in the job if their first priority is the money.”
The Council may yet approve Felinton’s pay raise against his will - but regardless of the outcome, it’s great to see a politician who’s willing to put his constituents before his cash flow for a change.