WASHINGTON — Give yourself a pat on the back. In fact, give yourself a raise, too.
A city-appointed citizens group is suggesting significant pay raises for Alexandria, Virginia’s mayor and council.
They recommend boosting the mayor’s salary by $11,100 from $30,500 to $41,600; City Council members would see a jump from $27,500 to $37,500.
Pay levels have not gone up since 2003.
At a recent council meeting, Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg commented on her busy itinerary, despite the fact that the job is only supposed to be part-time.
“Speaking for myself, in my experience, on any given day, I am racing from city commitment to city commitment to constituent meetings,” she said.
“I think it is very difficult to discuss, but I think it’s … since 2003, 15 years, that is an enormous amount of time,” she added.
Councilman Paul Smedberg pointed out that in addition to their regular work, council members are also expected to attend regional meetings.
“From experience the last couple weeks, I feel as if it almost was a full-time job,” he said.
The council is expected to further consider the pay raises in June.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
