What part of ‘no’ don’t officials at the Board of Elections get?

Members of the Mahoning County Board of Elections are again discussing pay raises for the staff — barely a month after voters almost rejected a 0.75-percent sales tax renewal/increase.

We say again because 10 months ago, the four board members approved pay increases, but then were forced to rescind them after commissioners Anthony Traficanti, Carol Rimedio-Righetti and David Ditzler strongly objected.

Traficanti, Rimedio-Righetti and Ditzler were in the midst of a campaign for the renewal of the 0.5 percent sales tax on the May primary ballot and were concerned that raising the salaries of county government employees would trigger a backlash with the voters.

Their concerns were justified because voters rejected the renewal. Residents not only took exception to the proposed pay raises for board of elections staff, but were angry that 700 county employees had received 3 percent increases. Aware of the discontent, commissioners decided to place the renewal and a 0.25-percent sales tax increase on the Nov. 4 general election ballot as one issue — dedicated to public safety.

Traficanti, Rimedio-Righetti and Ditzler, along with Sheriff Jerry Greene, led the campaign for the tax, insisting that all the money generated would go to the sheriff’s department, the prosecutor’s and coroner’s offices and the 911 emergency dispatch center.

Missing in their appeal was any mention of pay raises for county employees.

The issue passed, albeit by a slim margin, and since the general election, pay raises have been discussed openly and seemingly without concern about a public backlash.

Sheriff’s deputies are in line for pay hikes, Prosecutor Paul Gains has asked commissioners for more money so he can boost his staff’s pay, and now the board of elections is talking raises.

However, board member Atty. David Betras, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, made it clear during the Nov. 24 meeting at which the issue was raised that he is adamantly opposed to any salary adjustments.

“I’m against any raises at any time in the future,” Betras said.

This after member Tracey Winbush, a Republican, said the board should consider salary increases in 2015. “We need to make sure our employees are compensated equally with employees of boards of elections of equal size across the state,” Winbush said.

To which we ask, “Why?”

Economic realities

We have never bought the argument that public employees in the Valley should be paid what their peers make in other parts of the state. Economic realities should dictate the level of compensation, and right now the economy of the Mahoning Valley is still struggling to recover from the five-year national economic recession.

That, coupled with a shrinking tax base because of the growing population of retirees in the region, means that the keepers of the public purse cannot throw caution to the wind when it comes to wages and benefits.

As it is, about 80 percent of a public entity’s operating budget is eaten up by payroll.

All officeholders in the region should follow Democratic Chairman Betras’ lead and just say no — to pay raises.