647% Salary Increase For Mayor? Wayne Council To Consider A Raise

WAYNE, NJ — Mayor Christopher Vergano is up for a raise — a big one. The Wayne Township Council will consider raising his position's annual salary from $18,750 to $140,000 — a 647 percent increase.

The ordinance is on the agenda for the next council meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Wayne Municipal Building's Council Chambers. If passed, Wayne's mayorship would become a full-time position, entitling the officeholder to benefits and leave time. Read the ordinance here.

Vergano has served as Wayne's mayor since 2008, winning a fourth term in 2022. When he was sworn in last year for the new term, he was vice president of human resources and sales at Hishi Plastics U.S.A. Inc. in Lincoln Park.

The reasoning behind the proposed pay raise wasn't immediately clear. Patch reached out to Vergano and Wayne Business Administrator Christopher Tietjen but didn't receive a response in time for initial publication.

In recent years, several New Jersey towns elevated the mayoral position from part-time to full-time, significantly increasing the salary, despite vocal opposition while local councils considered the changes. Rutherford's mayor went from a part-time role making $4,000 a year to a full-time gig with a $74,000 salary in 2016. Edison's mayorship has fluctuated between part- and full-time status since 2006. But the Township Council voted in 2020 to make it a full-time position starting in 2022, increasing the mayor's salary from $49,000 to $135,000.

If Vergano's pay increase passes, dozens of municipal employees would still have higher annual earnings. Sixty-one township employees, mostly in law enforcement, earned more than $140,000 in 2021, according to the Asbury Park Press's database of public-employee salaries in New Jersey. Police Chief Jack McNiff's annual earnings ranked highest that year, totaling $246,924.