We’re pretty sure that if you got a chance to vote on whether Aurora City Council members should raise their own salaries by paying themselves to attend city council meetings, you would vote, “no.”
We would. But a slim majority of sly city lawmakers have made it so you won’t get the opportunity to vote on the issue of city council pay.
In one of the sorriest and most insulting end runs around city law we’ve seen in a long time, city council voted this week to bypass the law and raise their own pay.
The measure passed 6-5, with council members Debi Hunter-Holen, Molly Markert, Bob Broom, Renie Peterson and Bob LeGare voting no. Mayor Steve Hogan made a rare tie-breaking vote in favor of the move.
For the past few months, city council members have been talking about raising the salary of city lawmakers and the mayor. Under Aurora’s charter, lawmakers must ask voters for raises.
Council decided last week they would not ask voters in November to increase council pay from around $13,000 a year to $40,000 a year, and the mayor’s pay from $56,000 a year to $80,000 a year, Aurora Sentinel reporter Rachel Sapin wrote this week.
Instead, they gave themselves an approximate $2,000-a-year pay hike, and more for the mayor, by approving a measure that would pay council members $100 to attend city council committee meetings, about two each per month. The mayor or his designee gets $100 for each meeting he or she has an official presence at, creating a pool of about $25,000 to split up.
While the sham may not technically violate Aurora’s laws, it absolutely was created to bypass them.
It could well be that most Aurora residents would support increasing the pay of city council, and especially the full-time mayor. We would.
It’s impractical and inequitable to tie city lawmakers’ pay to the number of meetings they attend. And the contrivance here is blatant. Clearly, if the question were asked, “How can we shun city law that requires matters of city council pay to be decided only by voters and still give ourselves a raise?” this was the answer. And for a couple hundred bucks a month, six city council members sullied their reputation and that of the other opposing five who see this for what it is: shameful.
Our objection doesn’t stem from begrudging city leaders well-deserved money for what is often a thankless, tedious and difficult job. We and others object because the stunt is dishonest and only serves to undermine the credibility of individual lawmakers and the city government as a whole. The scam is made worse with the logic that six city lawmakers think voters would turn a raise request down, but they want it anyway.
This offensive measure comes to city council one more time for final approval. It’s not too late to kill this ill-conceived plan. If this truly is what city council members think is an equitable sum or plan for council compensation, do the honorable thing and refer the measure to voters, just as the city charter requires.
A better idea would be a more significant pay increase for the job city lawmakers already do.
Of course the risk is voters saying “no.” That risk comes to everyone who asks for a raise. But outside of city hall, no one else gets to do an end-run around the boss and just send a pay-increase order down to human relations. Come clean on this one, city council, and undo it.
Dave, your editorial sounds very much like my lament to the policy committee as they prepared this ordinance. The only addition I would make to your comments is the fact that the Mayor who always talks about transparency, professionalism, and representing the best interest of the public chose to side with those council members that now feel slighted and underpaid for a job that they sought, a job that they proclaimed they had a passion for, a job they conducted well financed campaigns for and a job they all said it would be a privilege to do.
It appears that at least Council Member Cleland, Council Member Roth, Council Member Mounier, Council Member Pierce and Council Member Berzins believe they should be the ones to determine their value to the citizens, that they deserve this stipend for attending meetings that city council created and that up-holding the city charter through round-abouts and technacalities is acceptable if they can get another nickle without voter approval.
One can only hope that that one of the fabulous five voting themselves a douceur has an epiphany and changes their vote.
Mr. Senn,
In my book of the highly respected, you rank at the top. For years I have watched you bring facts to the surface in an effort to keep the public informed about councils conduct.
Thank you for staying on top of things for us. Your service to Aurora taxpayers is valuable.
Duane, they are all spinless evil ppl and trust me, I personally know.
Find out July 21st -28th in court at amc building your chief and his clan in trial on an officers case.
This is the same group of “part-time” employees (city council) who get lifetime medical insurance, yet “regular” employees who have served the City for 20, 30, 40 years or more don’t (health insurance).
Yes you heard that correctly. City employees (police, fire, parks, road maintenance, etc), when they retire, receive no health insurance, yet these part-time council members, after serving just a few years part-time, do. And they pulled it off with the same self-serving voting shenanigans.
It’s time to clean house.
Nothing will change until the city employees get the word out to the voting public.
If the employees sit back and take it, most taxpayers go on with life and remain in the dark on these things. Council knows that. They cry poor mouth and have the ear of the voters, even when they go around us like this, every month at their Ward meetings.
Oh, and while we are cleaning house, Skip Noe-City Manager needs to go out the door with the rest of them.
Ashley, I know …. and agree about the APD officers are losing faith in their spinless chief…. I lived it and he has tried to destroy my hubby and our life because of his narcisstic ego. In July, the 21st – 28th, most everyone knows especially officers and the public can attend this open hearing of one of the many officers who have filed cases on this chief, in which he tries to fire when they fight back and voice their rights…not DAN GOTTI, who loves to win when it comes to the officers fighting back after being harassed and set up to his very own officers.
And, yes Skip and all OATES clan must GO !!!!!!!!!
AMEN! And big time, yes!
All OFFICERS AND THE PUBLIC..
ATTEND A COURT OPEN HEARING ON ONE OF THE MANY CASES FILED ON DANNY OATES, AT THE AMC BUILDING FRON JULY 21ST – 28th, BE THERE AND LISTEN TO THE CHIEF AS HE ATTEMPTED TO COVER HIS TRACKS REGARDING AN ON DUTY OFFICER WHILE HE LET A LT., A GOOD FRIEND WHO WAS CHARGED…CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT AND OATES KNEW THIS BUT INSTEAD OF FIRING HIS FRIEND LEUITENANT, OATES LET HIS FRIEND RETIRE – RESIGN WITH FULL BENEFITS. YOU JUDGE YOURSELF THE CHIEF OF AURORA
Oates knowingly knew his lieutenant APD at D3 was involved in a sexual harassment case chief oates had to retire or fire? This APD lieutenant retired with Full Benefits when he should be charged and jailed.
IS THIS LEGAL FOR A POLICE CHIEF TO REACT? THEN MOVES THE VICTIM…. AND NOT THE PREDATOR BEFORE RETIRING?
Then harasses year after year, a great officer for saving his life for a shooting which he had absolutely no choice. The officer was cleared, cleared, and cleared but refuses to let this rest. Its amazing how a chief (oates) could favor whom he wants but not whats right. Hmmmm.
All officers and public…. please attend a week long hearing of one of many officers who dispise their chief and filed cases…. one officer will have his week in court from JULY 21ST – 28TH at the AMC BUILDING (MISSISSIPPI & SABLE)….to testify the numerous personal attacks and set up this officer to attempt to get him fired because Oates just does not like him. Its true…
If you go up against Oates he wants to and will try to run off good men with any power using our tax dollars to help Oates win these cases against him.
Please attend.. OATES IS AN OATH BREAKER AND SEE THIS FOR YOURSELF. JULY 21ST – 28TH AT AURORA AMC.
If Council members Berzins, Mounier, Bob Roth, Cleland and Pierce (who were
just re elected) and the Mayor want a raise. . . .do it the correct way. What
an embarrassment they have become. When citizens voted for these people,
they expected and deserved council members they could trust to do the
right thing for the community. . .not people who would circumvent the Charter
of the City of Aurora. Truly shameful and disgusting.
Amen, yes exactly! That is why we the public need to jump in…and the Chief Oates is controlling all of them, as well.
YEA….and it’s the same crap…the one’s that complain the loudest are the one’s that voted for these people.
Yep…. and I was not one of them but you are totally correct.
To the public and all Officers…
July 21st – July 28th
at the Aurora Municipal Court building listen and know what a lousy spineless narcissistic evil chief who will speak of his many attempts and many cases filed on him from his very own officers of how he trys to take their job harder or harasses by not giving any of them a voice, this week a great officer has his case in court to use his voice to confront the most disliked chief, and yes, his officers want him gone but can’t speak out with fear of being fired.
Open Hearing on those dates.
chief oates will explain his opinion of how he has tried numerous times to harass and set up a cop because he has voiced his rights remember oates has a huge ego and refuses to be told that he is wrong. This hearing he will be told many times he was wrong and used city funds to hire outside only to be proven he was wrong, once again.
But this time, an officer has his day in court to prove the chief hatred and personal attacks because this is what he does… bad cops are his friends and dirty cops, the good cops that don’t want to be iinvolved? Oates will make your life a living hell just like he has tried numerous times to my husband and family.
The way the city treats its employees is shocking! I wish you the best of success.
Harassment of former employees and their families is quite common. I am shocked at how city employees are levied illegal fines! Supervisors are allowed to fine employees who disagree with them and refuse to comply with unethical and illegal demands. This practice hinders transparency because employees are afraid to speak out about issues that impact citizens.
I was married to a Tax Auditor who didn’t meet his collection quota. The harassment was insane. I wanted to know why we had to pay a $500 fine. When I called my Councilman, Bob Broom, I began to be harassed. Long story short, I read numerous lies about myself in hearing transcripts even though I had never met anyone at the city at the time. I endured harassing phone calls from city attorneys and rude emails from the supervisor of the Tax Audit department. I even found a police officer hanging out in my garage on the day before I was deposed by the city’s outside council. Yes, we had to sue the city to make the madness stop.
The stories I heard from people who used to work at the jail were worse than anything I had endured. I wish I could offer support. I used to blog about my experience (perhaps I could put it back up). I have the name of a good employment lawyer.
I wish the Aurora Sentinel would look into it. I can share the information I have compiled. Perhaps a little exposure could do something to improve the working conditions of city employees.
Good luck to you.