It is important to note that I believe that Adam Ashton has done a very fine job of reporting City of Modesto events.  His stories are (in my view) accurate, fair and complete, and we should thank him for his coverage of the complicated aspects of our city.  Today’s story regarding Salary Setting Commission was typical of his good work...with one exception.  I believe the record will show that I did not characterize the council as being “...irresponsible with public money.”   But, rather than dwell on what was not said, let me share what I DID say and HAVE said during these important deliberations.  Remember, these are public meetings.

                My comments have included,

1.    First and foremost, our Commission has a fiduciary responsibility to all Modestans.  Our recommendations must be responsible.

2.    Appropriate increases in compensation are fully warranted

3.    In addition to salary, our Mayor and Council should never be out-of-pocket when performing the proper duties of governance, representing our City or participating in training and education.  I will ask that our draft recommendations include full compliance by Staff in obeying City Ordinance No. 3406-C.S., which requires full reimbursement for authorized and properly documented costs for the Mayor and each and every Council Person.

4.    A suggestion to the Commission that our draft recommendations include a range of salaries, rather than a specific number.

5.    Several members of the Stanislaus Taxpayers Association, and I, strongly recommended to the Commission that our decisions should not consider the current Mayor or Council.  We should make responsible decisions for a generic Mayor of our City.  Our decisions should not be a reward or a punishment for any currently sitting elected official.  That is, we should decide what the City needs, not what an individual “deserves”.

6.    Compensation should always take into consideration several factors, including

a.     What are the required duties of each position?

b.    Is the position part-time or full-time?

c.     What are the requirements for education or training?

d.    What does a similar job pay in the private sector?

e.     What do other Cities think is reasonable compensation for their elected officials?

f.      Performance is always an issue.  Oversight is a critical requirement of elected officials.  Are they performing that function?

g.    Finally, I did remind my fellow commissioners that when looking at objective, third-party evaluations, Modesto is dead last in 373 best places to live, is the 8^th most miserable city.  Just today, we find that Modesto is the 3^rd from the bottom in good places to do business. 

It should be noted that we have looked at 15 cities, suggested by City Staff, from all over California; cities in the Valley, and cities of similar size.  We have compared how officials are compensated in all those cities.  Some have full-time Mayors with Executive authority; some have part-time Mayors with no executive authority.  Modesto’s Mayor has no executive authority or operational required duties, and is currently part-time.  The story tells you that Stockton’s full-time Mayor is paid $82,172 annually.  You should know that full-time Mayor of Irvine is paid $9,600 annually, Freemont’s is paid $26,532.  The part-time Mayor of Huntington Beach makes $2,100, Glendale’s makes $9,600, Turlock’s makes $18,750 and Bakersfield’s makes $24,000 even though he has veto power (ours does not).

Of the part-time Mayors in the Valley, the mean income is about $11,000, and the median is about $9,000.  Our Commission is considering higher amounts, and you may want to comment on that.  According to the 2006 Census Bureau report, the average Modesto job pays $31,905.

My commitment to all of you is, I will not make my final decision until after I have heard what Modestans say at our two public meetings.   I will listen very carefully to what you have to say, and to your rationale for saying it.  Please attend at least one of our public hearings, which will take place in the City Chambers, 1010 10^th Street, at 5:30 PM, on Monday, March 31^st, and Thursday April 10^th.   Bring your friends.

In addition, please feel free to message me back to share your thoughts.  I want to know what you really think. 

Thanks very much for your interest,  Dave

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