                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996                 TAG: 9606210008
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

THREE CITY COUNCILS VOTE THEMSELVES RAISES: THEY'RE WORTH MORE

Here is today's quiz: Which people work only one evening a week but recently voted themselves $10,000-a-year raises?

(a) Chesapeake City Council members

(b) Suffolk City Council members

(d) None of the above

Enough suspense. The correct answer is (d). Although Chesapeake and Suffolk council members did recently vote themselves $10,000 raises, Suffolk subsequently cut the raise to $4,000 in the face of public protest. And Chesapeake council members, while they kept the $10,000 raise, work more than one evening a week.

A good council member is, in fact, a hard-working public servant who has stacks of documents to read and countless constituents to hear out. A council member might get 175 or more calls on a single proposed rezoning. Furthermore, council members often serve on boards outside their cities, such as the Southeastern Public Service Authority.

A council member's job would be easy if done badly, but most council members work at doing what they think is best for their home cities. Some say they work more than 40 hours a week for their cities, and we believe them.

Chesapeake council salaries will increase July 1 from $13,000 to $23,000, the same pay as the Norfolk council approved for itself last month, up from $18,000. Within a few years, Chesapeake will pass Norfolk in population, so there's no logical reason Chesapeake council members should make less than their Norfolk counterparts. Suffolk council salaries will go from $8,000 to $12,000.

In Chesapeake and Suffolk, mayors' salaries will go to $25,000 and $14,000 respectively. The Norfolk mayor will also receive $25,000, up $5,000 from before.

Norfolk and Chesapeake will pay council members and mayors the maximum allowed by state law. (In Virginia Beach, the mayor makes $20,000 and council members $18,000. In Portsmouth, the mayor makes $15,000 and council members $13,000. Neither city plans to increase those amounts.)

Surely everyone noticed that Norfolk, Chesapeake and Suffolk council members voted themselves raises immediately after city elections. We've never heard of a politician voting himself a raise during a re-election bid.

Voters angered by the raises or the timing probably will cool down before the next council election, two years hence, though challengers for council seats will freshen voters' memories in an attempt to stoke anger's flame.

One argument against the raises is that money is tight in all the cities. Chesapeake, with nine council members, will pay $90,000 more a year for council salaries. Suffolk, with seven members will pay $28,000 more. Norfolk, with seven council members, will pay $35,000 more a year.

Also, $23,000 is far more than many people make for full-time jobs. Low-paid workers might resent having their tax dollars go to a council member making more than they do for what might appear to be less work. Certainly there's no heavy lifting and most of the work is indoors.

On the other hand, a good city council is priceless, and a bad city council can do harm beyond measure. Our city leaders should not be chopped liver. On balance, it's better to pay the higher salaries in hopes of getting the best people for the jobs. by CNB