Mayor Vincent Gray either has a tin political ear or he’s more arrogant than the average politician. Something is wrong. That’s the only conclusion to be drawn from his decision to advance the Executive Service Compensation System Changes and Pay Schedule Approval Amendment Act of 2011. The D.C. Council’s Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, headed by Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh, held a roundtable last week on the bill, which would increase executive pay for “subordinate” agency directors by as much as $100,000. The legislation also would approve enhanced salaries for the police chief, the head of the fire department, the medical examiner, and school chancellor.
Currently executive salaries are capped at $179,900. Under special circumstances, the council has lifted that ceiling. But Gray has asked for general and permanent pay increases. Unbelievably, he wants them retroactive to Jan. 3.
Gray’s request comes as his political, management and fiscal judgment is under sharp criticism. Some residents are quietly discussing a possible recall.
His hiring practices are being investigated by Cheh’s committee. The U.S. Attorney, the FBI and a congressional committee are reviewing charges his 2010 mayoral campaign paid cash to fellow candidate Sulaimon Brown and promised him a job, if he remained in the race ostensibly to trash then-incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty. Gray has denied those allegations.
Meanwhile, the District government has been under a hiring and spending freeze since October, when Fenty issued an order at Gray’s request. Oddly, Gray issued a similar order earlier this month. Last week, the council approved several spending cuts requested by the mayor to close a $322 million projected revenue gap for fiscal 2012.
Given those realities, why would Gray advance legislation to raise salaries?
“The timing and the presentation were unfortunate,” Cheh told me.
But the mayor’s general counsel, Brian Flowers, defended the legislation. He said the increased salaries would be subject to council approval. Moreover, the bill replicates a 2007 measure that expired in 2009. It was “for exceptions, waivers.” But, said Flowers, “The mayor wants to create a standard rule.”
Fortunately, Cheh has declared the “portion of the bill dealing with additional grades and higher salaries DOA.” She noted there’s already “a process for going over the caps.”
As for the four specifically identified positions in the bill, she said “a better case” needed to be made for raising those salaries based on what other jurisdictions are paying for similar jobs.
Cheh said the administration should have shown “some sensitivity to and awareness of both the ongoing [council investigation] focused, in part, on high salaries, and the economic circumstances in which the District is currently operating.” She said after “tough questions” asked by at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson and herself, she thought the administration “got it.”
I’m not so sure.
Since taking office, Gray has acted like a politician who believes himself entitled everything he wants when he wants it. There is little evidence he has been disabused of such thinking.
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
