The Springfield City Council doesn’t think it, or other elected officials, should get pay raises.
Ward 1 Alderman Frank Edwards suggested they scrap initial plans to tie annual raises to the Consumer Price Index and instead keep salaries as they are now. Edwards, who’s running for city treasurer in 2015, insists this is not a political move.
“Let me remind you that this is not my first venture down this road,” Edwards said. “I’ve always voted no on raises, and the last time I did it, my personnel file got released to the media.”
The council faces a deadline of October 7th to get this done — salaries must be set at least 180 days before the municipal election in April. The revised ordinance faced no opposition so it’s unlikely the mayor will try to veto it.
“The people in our communities are really struggling out there,” Edwards said. “I think this shows solidarity to say, you know what, we understand. We need to lead through this. And us sitting here taking your hard earned money isn’t fair.”