Proposed salary range measure will let Paterson mayor increase his pay from $119,000 to $150,000. But mayor says he has no plans to give himself a raise. | Paterson Times Paterson Times

Proposed salary range measure will let Paterson mayor increase his pay from $119,000 to $150,000. But mayor says he has no plans to give himself a raise.

By Jayed Rahman
Published: June 8, 2020

andre-sayegh

A controversial proposed salary range ordinance will allow mayor Andre Sayegh to increase his salary from $119,000 to $150,000.

But the mayor says he has no plans to boost his own pay.

“I am not interested in nor am I seeking an increase. I intend to maintain my salary for as long as I am Mayor,” said Sayegh on Friday morning. “In fact, that range will be removed.”

The range for the mayor in the proposed ordinance is $110,000 to $150,000. The current ordinance in place sets the salary for the mayor at $119,000.

Members of the City Council shelved the measure on Thursday night. The measure increases the salary ranges for every high-ranking official in the government by tens of thousands of dollars.

Some exchanged attacks with the mayor. Some said the timing was poor by stating residents are experiencing hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic fallout from it.

Under attack, Sayegh said the ordinance is not intended to give raises, but to set salary ranges for cabinet members. Council members said the mayor’s words were deceptive. Councilman Michael Jackson said Sayegh is “misleading” the community. The mayor and his staff have been pushing to get a variation of the ordinance approved since last September.

A previous iteration of the same ordinance specifically upped the salary of three cabinet members — business administrator from $110,000 to $140,000; economic development director from $107,000 to $130,000; and law director from $122,000 to $135,000 – undercutting the mayor’s argument.

Salaries for directors are set by ordinance which means the mayor cannot give increases to his cabinet members without the council’s approval.

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