A debate over council salaries took an unexpected turn with City Council members bitterly disagreeing over issues of class and pay equity.
Councilman Manny Pelaez during City Council's Thursday A Session to discuss City Charter changes including council salaries, which later turned contentious.The tense and at times emotional discussion was uncharacteristic of a group that’s normally eager to highlight its members’ diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito led off the discussion by suggesting higher salaries would ensure more people could serve. Her predecessor, Ana Sandoval, had vacated the seat with more than two years left of eligibility,“If we chose to go with lower pay rates … we might just become a council with only members who are attorneys,” Alderete Gavito said jokinglyShe went on: “I prefer to see a diverse council.
Several council members stressed that higher council salaries should come with the expectation that it’s a full-time job. Among those was Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez , a former high school math teacher, who said he couldn’t afford to start a family without taking on a second job. “I try really hard to not punch down when I’m at the dais, but I can’t not comment that one should never underestimate the eager alacrity of politicians to come up with reasons to get paid more,” Pelaez said after several of his colleagues gave their reasons for supporting the increase.
“I will tell you that City Council, with all this talk of service and humility, is the closest thing to royalty in San Antonio that you can get,” Pelaez said. “All of us get invited to every Spurs game and all the high-ticket concerts.” “If you look at the dais today, and you look back 20 or 30 years ago, there’s a big change — I would say it’s a good change — more reflective of the community that we serve from an age perspective, from a race and equity perspective, from a socioeconomic perspective,” Nirenberg said of the impact past salary increases.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Antonio City Council pay raise, longer terms added to Nov. 5 ballotSan Antonio voters will be asked whether to raise council members’ pay by tens of thousands of dollars and to double the length of their current terms.
Read more »
Here’s what San Antonio City Council is asking voters to approve in NovemberVoters are being asked to consider six City Charter amendments including a $24,500 pay raise for City Council members, the first since 2015.
Read more »
Documentary featuring San Antonio band Pariah to debut this week at San Antonio Film FestivalSan Antonio metal band Pariah will feature heavily in a new documentary about infamous Austin rock venue The Back Room, which will make its debut this weekend at the San Antonio Film Festival. Bloody & Bruised: The Untold Story of the Back Room, directed by J. Budro Partida, will screen this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Radius Center.
Read more »
San Diego City Council approves plans for more housing in Hillcrest, University CityThe San Diego City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved plans to add more housing to Hillcrest and University City.
Read more »
San Diego City Council confirms Robert Logan as city's next fire chiefThe San Diego City Council officially confirmed the appointment of Robert Logan II as the city's next San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief.
Read more »
San Antonio voters to decide on pay raises, term limits in November electionSAN ANTONIO - After a weeks-long hiatus to allow city staff to develop a proposed budget, the San Antonio City Council reconvened today to tackle several issues
Read more »