How much should your mayor make?

OGDEN -- A group of local business leaders is floating a proposal to raise the mayor's salary to attract high-caliber candidates for the 2011 election.

Mayor Matthew Godfrey, who is in his third term, said if he decides to run again in 2011 and is re-elected, he would refuse a pay raise and instead keep his current $80,294 annual salary.

"I knew what the salary would be (when first elected in 1999) and don't think it's right to get a pay raise," he said.

The proposal is being pitched by Kym Buttschardt, owner of Roosters Brewing Company; Scott Parkinson, senior vice president with the Bank of Utah; Ryan Christiansen, senior vice president with Zions Bank; and Mike Dowse, general manager of Amer Sports Winter & Outdoor Americas.

The group is seeking the creation of a blue ribbon panel of city council members, representatives from Ogden's administration, business leaders and residents to determine if the mayor's annual salary should be increased to coincide with the demands and complexities of the job, said Christiansen.

"It's hard to get people to go into public service," he said. "If you do get someone with the skill set to do the job and even if you pay more salary, they can make more than that in the private sector."

The aim of the group's proposal is to increase the salary after the 2011 election, which means Godfrey's current pay would remain the same for now, said Christiansen.

The group hasn't decided on a candidate to support in the 2011 mayoral election, but members hope a pay raise will attract those who are seriously interested in being a hands-on administrator, Christiansen said.

"We are not looking for a prime minister," he said, adding the group hasn't determined an appropriate salary for the mayor. "We want someone to get in who wants to do the hard work."

Some well-qualified candidates may be unwilling to run for a demanding and highly scrutinized position such as mayor without better compensation, Buttschardt said.

Passion for the job often isn't enough for some top-flight mayoral candidates, said Parkinson. "They have to feel good about the salary and benefits," he said.

Although Godfrey has promised to turn down a pay raise, he believes the mayor's salary should be increased to attract qualified candidates for the job.

"The compensation for the job is clearly not what it should be," he said. "We need more qualified candidates running for mayor."

A survey by the Standard-Examiner found that Godfrey's salary is the lowest among mayors in five other Utah cities that like Ogden have a council-mayor form of government.

Those cities include Sandy, Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan and Murray. Patterned after state and federal government, the council-mayor system gives the mayor administrative and executive powers and the city council legislative responsibilities.

Thirty-four Ogden city employees are paid more than Godfrey, according to www.utahsright.com, a Web site that tracks the salaries of public officials.

The municipality isn't able to pay Godfrey more because of the bureaucracy created by the council-mayor system, said Councilwoman Dorrene Jeske.

"I'm sure he isn't paid as much as he should be," she said. "This form of government costs more than it's worth because of all the high-paid directors we have."

Godfrey hasn't had a pay raise in at least a decade, Mark Johnson, the city's management services director, said in an email to the Standard-Examiner. The mayor's salary will be reviewed in conjunction with all city employees as part of the fiscal 2011 budget.

"If we find that a change needs to be made we will encourage the city council to pass an ordinance to raise the pay effective the next election of that office," he said.