Condon calls for ballot measure to set his pay

Spokane Mayor David Condon said today that he wanted to move quickly to put a measure on the “next available ballot” asking voters to approve of his plan to have the city’s Salary Review Commission set the mayor’s pay. In a letter sent to City Council President Ben Stuckart last week, Condon said the commission would “provide an adaptable model to adjust the Mayor’s salary, making it a more balanced approach for the future.” “One of the key functions of the Office of the Mayor is to oversee the budget and negotiate salary packages for our many employee groups,” he wrote. “I believe that I – and future mayors – could do that more easily if the Mayor’s salary was set by the citizens.” At a news conference this morning, Condon said the measure should be put on the ballot “as soon as possible,” noting that the primary election in August would likely be the earliest ballot available. Condon, who is up for re-election this year, will be on that ballot, as well as the general election ballot in November. The City Council must send the measure to a ballot. The process for determining an appropriate salary will be difficult, Condon said, noting that many similar sized cities in the state have different forms of government. He said that a pay range of $165,000 to $180,000 seemed appropriate. The mayor’s pay became a point of discussion last fall, when the mayor’s budget proposal included a $7,000 salary increase for himself. Stuckart called the pay raise “utterly ridiculous” and vowed to block it. In turn, Condon accused Stuckart of “politicizing” the issue, and pointed to labor contracts, primarily in public safety, that he said were to blame for the growth in well-heeled public servants, calling it the “impact of contracts that were signed before I got here.” In the end, Condon said he would not take the pay increase, but said he would push to have his pay reviewed by the salary commission, the same body that determines council members’ pay. Today, Condon said he was looking for “solutions, not just problems,” and challenged the council to put the measure on the ballot.