Politics & Government

Stratford's Next Elected Mayor to Make $20K More

Stratford Town Council approves pay raise for town's next top elected official from $90K to $110K.

Stratford's next elected mayor will make $20,000 more than what its current mayor is earning now.

The Stratford Town Council Monday approved the pay raise by a 7-2 vote. The raise bumps the $90K salary up to $110K and comes with no increase over the next eight years.

So if Mayor John A. Harkins runs and wins a 2013 re-election campaign, he will in essence receive a 22 percent raise for his second term.

"If you break it down over eight years, it comes down to what would be a cost of living adjustment for each year," said Councilman David Fuller (D-6), calling $110,000 "reasonable" compensation.

"I'm comfortable with that amount," said Councilman Jason Santi (D-4). The last Council wanted to raise the salary to $130,000, he said.

While all Town Council members agreed that a salary adjustment was needed, some thought a $20,000 increase was too much.

Stephanie Philips (D-2) and Christian Barnaby (R-1) are the two Council members who voted against the raise.

Comparison with Other Towns

"I actually think $100,000 would be a more appropriate number for the mayor," Philips said. There are two towns with similar median household salaries that pay its mayors around $100,000, she said.

But one of those towns allows its mayor to seek a salary outside of his or her municipal duties, Philips noted. Stratford's mayor is not permitted to take such action.

Though Philips did not name the two towns, a report of chief executive salaries by Stratford’s town attorney shows that Danbury, which has a median household salary of $65,419, pays its mayor $104,015 a year; and Norwalk, which has a median household salary of $75,695, pays its mayor $100,000.

The median household salary in Stratford is $66,127, according to the report.

However, both Danbury and Norwalk have larger municipal budgets than Stratford. According to the report, Danbury's budget is about $209M and Norwalk's $280M, while Stratford's is $188M.

Editor's note: The following comment was provided by the office of Mayor Harkins: "The mayor is deferring the council on salary issue as it was their own bi-partisan initiative."

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