I am lifting this link from Greg Page, The New Englander. It is about the salary being paid to the City Manager of Bell, a small town in LA County. Bell, along with Gardena (legalized gambling and demolition derbies) and Carson and some other names are boutique cities sandwiched between Long Beach, to the South, and LA, to the north.
The City Manager in Bell is earning just south of $800,000 pa. And Bell is a third the size of Lowell.
I hope the City Council, in reviewing a pay raise for our own City Manager will take this as a cautionary tale.
Here in Lowell we are on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, we want the salary we pay to be competitive,♠ but on the other hand, these are tough economic times. The City Council will have to do a balancing act, and will have to get an agreement with the City Manager, who can always respond by walking away. That "walking away" part would not be good for our City. So, it is all about striking a deal.
Fortunately, we have a panel looking at this pay issue. I am hoping they will be reporting back to the City Council very soon. The reason to be quick is that the City Manager's contract runs out soon and he is not going to be able to make it on his salary as an Adjunct Professor at UMass Lowell; although a couple of folks wishing to organize the Adjuncts wandered into the classroom after class Wednesday night. I asked them for copies of their literature, to pass on to another adjunct professor, who is visiting family in Italy, which they were happy to give to me. In fact, they had been looking for the chap.
UPDATE: The City Manager of Bell, California, Mr Robert Rizzo, is retiring, per The Washington Examiner, which quotes quotes KTLA News on the value of Mr Rizzo's retirement, along with Social Security. Wait for it ... with a retirement of $1 M pa, within two years. Mr Rizzo is 62 years old.
Regards — Cliff
♠ For example, should the City Manager not make as much or more than the School Superintendent? Point to ponder.
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