Port Jeff Residents Debate Mayor’s Pay Raise

The job of Port Jefferson’s mayor just got a little bit sweeter on Monday after the board of trustees voted to boost the salary of the part-time position from $10,000 to $19,500, an increase of 95 percent. Before the vote, residents debated the pay raise with some saying they supported the mayor personally but did not agree with the increase. An impromptu poll by show of hands at the village board meeting called for by Mayor Margot Garant had the audience split on the issue.

At the meeting, trustee Adrienne Kessel said that the raise was justified after doing a comparison search of similar sized villages like Patchogue. She pointed out that the mayor must administer a budget of over $8 million within a village that is a transportation hub and contains two major hospitals.

The debate continued on after the pay raise was approved by a vote of 3-0. Mayor Garant abstained from voting and one trustee, James Burke, was absent.

“I don’t think the mayor should have gotten a raise.,” said Karen, a village resident who declined to give her last name. “A few months back she laid off a bunch of the village highway guys. I heard 17. Then right after that spends $15,000.00 on fireworks.

She said the money from the fireworks show and mayor’s salary could have been applied to saving jobs of village workers.

“We also could have saved money without purchasing those disgusting trash compactors all over town,” she said.

Thomas Bjurlof  had the opposite opinion. He felt that the village needs a “a strong and competent mayor.”

“Margot is that, and this should be recognized by the community,” he said. “But more importantly the Village needs to attract and retain professional mayors moving forward.”

He said that the village faces important issues including development of new sources for tax revenue when the tax base from the LIPA power plant goes away.

“The power plant issue has been mismanaged by several previous mayors, by the school board, and by most of our politicians,” Bjurlof said. “It is time to get serious. And for that we need strong and competent people. Not political hacks or part time mayors.”

Mark Kauffman who said he is a “long time village resident” thinks the amount of money paid the mayor is low, even with the increase.

“That's per year, right?” he said. “I think I need to support paying our mayor who is working hard to keep our village running smoothly for a measly $19,500 per year.”

He calculated that the total compensation works out to be $375 per week.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “How small can we get?”

April Quiggle supports the raise. She said that when the original $10,000 salary was set, the position of Mayor was part time.

“I believe Margot (and perhaps several mayors before her) put in much closer to 40 hours a week, if not more than that,” she said.

Quiggle often sees Margot at community events on Sundays, evenings and early mornings in addition to her regular office hours.

“Her skills and dedication are well worth the investment,” she said. “We’re lucky to have her at such a cheap price.”

Kathy O’Sullivan also supports the pay raise.

“I think the Mayor’s pay raise is modest, in spite of the economy,” she said. “In the discussion, which centered on all the hours she puts into the job, it was not mentioned that these are hours she is not putting into her law practice. Presumably she is taking a great pay cut there. I salute her dedication.”

Real Estate Agent, Amanda Eckhardt  said that she  thinks this was “absolutely the right move.”

“If we want to keep our village independent, we need strong leadership, and it's important to offer at least some incentive to candidates to take on the headaches that come along with being mayor of our very tight community,” she said. “I want the best for this village, and I'm willing to pay a little bit in order to get it.”

Denice Givens who is a resident and whose band, The Denice Givens Band plays around town said that she’s seen a dozen mayors come and go in her time living in the village. She said that although $10,000 is too low a salary for the responsibilities of the mayor of Port Jefferson, she asked how long it’s been at that level and why such a large boost at one time, instead of gradual, yearly increases.

“When was the last time anyone ever raised it?” she said. “Why didn't they raise it gradually? Nobody especially in this economy likes to see something almost double.”

There was also a proposal to raise the salaries of the village board of trustees but it was postponed until Oct. 17 because Burke was not there.

What do you think of the pay raise for the mayor and the board of trustees?