SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Spokane Mayor David Condon says he will hold his salary at $100,000 this year as promised.
But Condon, who says the issue of mayoral pay has become a “political animal,” said he may take more next year. In his campaign last year, Condon agreed to accept whatever Mayor Mary Verner budgeted for the mayor’s salary in his first year in office.
The Spokane City Charter says that the mayor’s pay must be at least equal to that of the highest paid city employee, not including the city administrator. The highest-paid worker is usually the police or fire chief, who earn about $170,000 annually. Each mayor since Jim West in 2005 has declined a portion of his or her pay. Verner capped her salary at $100,000, apparently against the advice of the city attorney’s office. In her last week in office she requested back pay for what she declined in her last two years. The city denied that request.
Information from The Spokesman Review: http://www.spokesman.com
