Put off any raises until next terms
Port Jeffersion Village Mayor Margot Garant Credit:
Margot Garant, the mayor of Port Jefferson since 2009, wants a raise, from $10,000 per year to $25,000. The village's trustees want hikes too, from $7,000 to $12,500.
Who gets to decide whether they get those raises? They do. This isn't necessarily unreasonable, since the mayor and trustees are the village's political representatives and should have the power to set the pay. What rankles is that the raises would take effect during their current terms.
Politicians in general get raises a bit more easily than they should. Congress gets annual hikes based on inflation that automatically go into effect unless lawmakers pass a bill refusing them. In the 20 years this has been the law, Congress has accepted the raises 13 times.
The New York State Legislature cannot pass a salary increase that goes into effect during the current term, which sounds a bit more upstanding than it is. It can pass a pay increase in the period after the election -- but before the change of power -- so voters don't get to toss them out for upping their checks.
Pay raises for elected officials shouldn't be automatic or immediate. They should require a vote that occurs before the officials yeaing or naying stand for re-election, and take effect after the next swearing-in.
Port Jefferson ought to amend its code to follow these principles. Until and unless that happens, the mayor and trustees would be wise to push back the effective date of any raise to after the next set of ballots has been cast.
