A salary of $80,294 a year may be not enough compensation for Ogden's mayor, but a proposal from Junction City business leaders designed to raise the mayor's salary to attract high-caliber private sector candidates is not the right solution.
The group wants a blue-ribbon commission, comprised of public and private sector leaders, to review the mayor's salary and recommend a figure based on the demands and complexities that come with a "strong mayor" form of government.
However, a high level of city bureaucracy is one reason the mayor's salary has languished, in our opinion. According to www.utahsright.com, a watchdog online site, 34 Ogden city employees earn more than Mayor Matthew Godfrey.
If we increase the mayor's salary and do not address the salaries of other Ogden city officials, we're addressing the wrong end of the problem. We have to measure how much Ogden is paying for city administrators compared to other Utah cities. Those compensation numbers would have to change before the mayor's salary is changed significantly.
Having said that, we're also not convinced that $80,294 is a trifling sum. The business leaders who are pushing this agenda are living in a world where $80,000 is not a lot of money. Trust us -- it is. Also, we believe that they are underestimating the reasons that well-qualified people decide to run for mayor and other local offices.
The first priority of most candidates in Ogden, we believe, is to serve the community and make Ogden a better place to live. We don't want someone jumping to the job just because the money looks good enough for him or her.
Frankly, we think Mayor Godfrey has done a good job for Ogden during his tenure. He's helped Junction City be a safer city and improve its downtown area. He's also made it clear he's satisfied with his salary.
On the other hand, if the mayor's salary is reviewed and raised in the near future, we won't object. It hasn't been raised for about 10 years. A cost-of-living raise is certainly fair.
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