Published: February 11, 2007 12:43 am      

GOVERNMENT: A review of elected leaders' salaries in Niagara County

Pay increases for politicians typically make for a touchy subject for taxpayers.

The debate over just how much elected officials should earn recently raised some eyebrows in Niagara County’s largest municipality.The Niagara Falls City Council last month boosted the mayor’s salary starting in 2008 from $30,000 to $78,000.

But according to an analysis by the Niagara Gazette, the raise still leaves the Cataract City’s chief executive as the lowest-paid municipal leader based on population size.

Sean Kelly, associate professor of political science at Niagara University, chaired the city’s Charter Commission, which had recommended the mayor’s salary be increased.

Municipalities will determine the applicant pool when deciding how much the job pays, because some potential candidates won’t stick their hat in the ring if they can’t make do with the salary offered, according to Kelly.

Another item of consideration when setting a mayor or supervisor’s salary should be the salaries of department heads, Kelly said.

“The boss shouldn’t get paid less than the employees,” he said.

A low salary essentially limits applicants to either a retired person or someone who’s independently wealthy.

And while a raise should help, it’s not a guarantee and other reforms should still be considered to improve government, Kelly said.

Peter Lombardi, a policy analyst with the U.B. Regional Institute, points to the private sector where executives in charge of companies with budgets of similar size to municipal budgets are paid much more than elected officials.

Keeping elected salaries low may ensure the position attracts individuals whose sole ambition is to serve the public, according to Lombardi.

But realistically speaking, individuals have to earn a living one way or the other, which will affect the amount of time a person can dedicate to the job.

“We have to compensate the person in a way that’s equal to the enterprise that they’re running,” he said.

North Tonawanda Mayor Larry Soos operated his own business for 30 years before jumping in the race for elected office.

Soos said he would make more money if he stayed in the private sector.

Most supervisors’ or mayors’ jobs in the county are full time, whether the position officially designates full-time status or not, Soos said.

“At this level, it doesn’t really pay enough,” he said.

Some municipal leaders who spoke with the Gazette said they’ve seen an increase in the amount of time and the number of duties required of them.

Village of Middleport Mayor Julie Maedl said the mayor’s job used to only require attending about one meeting per month.

Her position’s duties have grown because the village itself is growing, Maedl said.

“Once you have more activity, you have more work to do,” she said.

Town of Lewiston Supervisor Fred Newlin agreed.

The supervisor’s position requires him to wear many hats, including duties related to homeland security, the Niagara County Water District, as the town’s water district administrator and as a representative to the Niagara Power Coalition.

“When I went into this job, I thought it was going to be part time,” Newlin said. “It doesn’t work out that way. The job is so time consuming.”

Newlin said nearly every other full-time town employee currently makes more money in one year than he does as supervisor.

In the process of establishing the town’s 2007 budget, the Lewiston Town Board looked to remedy that.

They wanted to increase the supervisor’s salary by 27 percent, but because of timing problems, the raise was not allowed to go through.

Newlin said he disagrees with the Gazette’s November report that the attempted raise was nixed because it was “illegal.”

He said the board only voted to increase a budget line that included his salary and the salary of his secretary and the town’s budget officer.

State law prohibits salary increases for elected officials made after a public hearing on the budget is held.

Colleen Leary, a Niagara University senior and member of the College Republicans, interned on the most recent election campaign of Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-Clarence.

She said the experience gave her an inside view into how much elected leaders do for the community.

She suggested members of the public inquire about what elected officials are doing.

“People might be more accepting,” she said.

Contact Aaron Besecker at 282-2311, Ext. 2263.