Warren mayor takes 2% pay cut, matching that of city workers

The mayor gave back his cost-of-living increase plus 5 percent in 2009.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — Mayor Michael O’Brien has written a check to the city for $1,756 — a 2 percent pay cut for 2010 — to match the sacrifice required of city workers in their 2010 contracts.

The mayor has also agreed to have the same 90-10 plan for his health insurance for 2010 that employees are now under, he said this week.

“The whole point in taking the 2 percent pay cut is, all our employees did,” O’Brien said of contract negotiations late last year and early this year that required employees to help the city balance its budget through concessions for 2010. “I wouldn’t ask city employees to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.”

O’Brien gave back $4,389 of his pay in 2009, representing his 2.5 cost-of-living increase and an additional 5 percent of his pay.

Other elected officials who paid back their cost-of-living increase in 2009 were Auditor David Griffing and council members Al Novak and Fiore Dippolito.

O’Brien said he is so far the only elected Warren official to voluntarily take a pay cut and urges others to do likewise. “I expect other elected officials to follow,” he said.

No elected officials will get a cost-of-living increase in 2010 because such raises are tied to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which showed no overall increase in the price of goods and services between the third quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009.

O’Brien’s salary in 2009 and 2010 (before givebacks) is $87,789. The pay rates for other city officials are: president of council, $11,779; city council members, $11,109; auditor, $80,745; deputy auditor, $63,021; safety-service director, $82,825; law director, $86,825; deputy law director, $67,634; assistant law director, $64,259; and treasurer, $10,327.