Pay Raise for Elected Officials Justified

This move by the City of Miami voters will open the door for voters of other Florida municipalities and governing bodies to begin realizing that the old concept of  “they are only part-time, let them serve for the honor” is out the window.   

By Seymour Gelber
Contributing Writer 

Miracle of miracles---voters in a city in these United States finally approved a raise for their city commissioners.  And where did it happen?  In the City of Miami, not only the poorest city in the country but one, in recent time, that has been a totally   dysfunctional city, riddled with corruption, indictments and incompetence.  To the point that Governor Jeb Bush had to appoint a monitoring council to ride herd on the city.   It appears that new Mayor Manny Diaz deserves some kind of superstar recognition for stabilizing the city. 

Obviously Miami citizens, appreciating the improvement in their government structure, rewarded their commissioners with a bountiful raise from $5,000 to $58,200.

Quite a jump!  About a zillion percent increase, but it’s their money and their privilege.

But wait!  Miami Herald columnist Jim Defede is boiling because the City of Miami commissioners spent $250,000 to educate the voters as to this and several other ballot initiatives.  “It’s sleazy” and “doesn’t pass the smell test” says Defede because it “puts cash into the pockets of every commissioner.”  Yes, Jim, it does but you are missing the big point. 

This move by the City of Miami voters will open the door for voters of other Florida municipalities and governing bodies to begin realizing that the old concept of  “they are only part-time, let them serve for the honor” is out the window.  Governing is too complex to treat an elective position as if it’s a hobby for the rich.

Take the City of Miami Beach, hardly a city that can’t afford to dole out a respectable salary.  In over eighty years their city commissioner salaries have risen about  $5,000 dollars to their current $6,500 stipend.   Those increases come to about sixty bucks a year—coolie raises anywhere in the world.  Every raise brought to the vote of the Miami Beach citizenry has been rejected.  This wage scale has been the custom in Florida rather than the exception.  How come?

The obvious answer is that citizens don’t trust government, and this way they can answer back.  Of course, they could vote the bad guys out of office, but our voters are cynical enough to believe that, despite their promises to the contrary, the successors won’t be any better.   And they might be right about that, too.  But why, as the old adage goes, cut off your nose to spite your face?  Maybe, just maybe, the positions might attract a better quality office holder if a respectable salary is offered.

Defede also criticizes Miami City Commission tactics of placing this on the ballot during an off-year election when a small voter turnout was certain, and “filling the airwaves with propaganda.”  C’mon Jim, every ballot initiative is placed with the idea of winning over the voters, not losing.  And spending the city’s money, advertising what is at stake, is proper and necessary. 

Back in 1997, as mayor of Miami Beach, I placed a city commission raise on the ballot although Beach voters had rejected it several times in the past.  I did it in a very calculated, shrewd manner, sandwiching the pay raise between two other more popular measures.  Those two issues concerning term limits of elected officials, both likely to pass, might just carry the pay raise, I thought.

Rather than following the City of Miami strategy of highly publicizing the ballot proposal, I chose to low-key it by not campaigning for it, figuring a stealth campaign would allow it to slip by quietly.  My only effort was to submit a dignified letter-to-the- editor reminding citizens to approve it.  At the time I was certain that approaching the issue by not arousing opposition was the smart way  

Another aspect of my stealth strategy was to only increase the salary minimally so that people wouldn’t be too upset.  It was a galling defeat!  I learned that whatever tactic taken is always a calculated political risk.  

If I had been as smart as Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton who had shepherded Miami’s proposal to victory, maybe ours too would have succeeded.  With no disrespect to the City of Miami, our Miami Beach City Commission deserved it a lot more. 

So, Mr. Jim Defede, look at it this way.  This raise will do worlds of good for the self-esteem of Miami’s elected leaders.  It’s bound to pay off in a higher level of quality service, and perhaps even better candidates.   It will also open the door wide for Miami Beach citizens (and other jurisdictions) to reconsider their miserly attitude toward those who govern.  

And a private note to Miami Beach Mayor Dermer: This may be the time for you to look at this issue again.  As for help, David, avoid me at all costs.  Then again, don’t look for any help from Jim Defede, either.

And so it goes.