Mayor Gray Looking To Boost Executive Pay Scales
Mayor Vince Gray is looking to boost the maximum pay he can offer his agency heads by $100,000.
That's according to this bill, which would expand the the number of executive pay levels in District government from five to seven and increase the maximum pay he could offer his agency heads from $179,096 to $279,000.
"The Mayor shall designate the appropriate pay level for each subordinate agency head position based on market analyses and other relevant criteria," the bill says.
The bill comes a few months after Gray took a political beating for paying some of his cabinet members salaries that exceeded the council-set pay cap. In March, Gray announced he was reducing the pay of seven agency heads to get them within the cap, saying it wasn't worth the effort to try and get council approval for the extra pay. And there's also the awkward point that Gray's hiring and pay practices are currently under investigation by a whole bunch of people, including the council.
There are a handful of city employees who make well above the cap, but their salaries have to be approved by the council. Curiously, Gray's bill would still require council approval for anyone whose pay would fall into the the tiers he's proposing, which makes LL wonder why Gray introduced the bill in the first place.
At a hearing today, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh noted that the federal government only has five pay levels for executive pay and cabinet heads top out at just under $200,000.
"It is curious that we're offering more," Cheh said.
Curious indeed, LL will update when/if the mayor's office responses to his questions about the necessity and purpose of the bill.
UPDATE: LL put this post up before the hearing was over. Here's an update: Fraternal Order of Police Union boss Kris Baumann just testified that he thought the bill was bad policy and even worse politics, considering that the council's investigation is still ongoing.
"I can't even understand why we're even here talking about more money," Baumann said.
Cheh was in complete agreement, saying "there's no way" she was going to allow the mayor's proposal to get past her committee.
UPDATE No. 2:
The Gray administration's interim H.R. boss, Shawn Stokes, told Cheh later in the hearing today that the D.C. Department of Human Resources supports the bill because it is both "reasonable and necessary."
“The legislation allows the district the much needed flexibility to hire and retain the best in the field," Stokes said.
Councilmember Phil Mendelson, who like Cheh is a strong ally of the mayor, asked Stokes why the new pay scales were higher than what the feds pay cabinet members. After a few false starts by Stokes, a frustrated Mendo asked: “Can you point to the piece of paper that gives the council the rational?"
Stokes could not. (And in an even more awkward and painful exchange, Mendo went off on Stokes for not being able to defend the other part of the mayor's bill, which allows the city to keep paying the police chief, the fire chief, the schools chancellor and the chief medical officer salaries that are above the pay cap (and predate the Gray administration). Mendo said Stokes' analysis of why the city should keep paying these salaries was "bush league.")
So to recap: The mayor, who is currently embroiled in an investigation related to high executive pay, is asking the council to approve legislation that allows him to make it easier to offer higher salaries for top positions. The proposal is so bad that some of his political allies can't help but openly mock it. And the person Gray sends to defend the proposal appears completely clueless.
LL actually thinks that the executive pay scale for the District is a little screwy (the schools chancellor makes $275,000 a year while the attorney general makes $100,000 less) and probably could use some adjustment.
But politically, LL has to wonder what the hell Gray was thinking. It's not just the investigations, Gray just proposed raising the income tax of the city's wealthy while cutting social services for the poor to help fill a massive budget gap. This is not a good time for the mayor to be talking about paying upper-level city employees more money. In fact, there probably isn't a worse time for Gray to do so.
Talk about bush league.
12:35 pm
Is Gray tone deaf? Why even offer the bill after the six months he's had and the City has been subjected to? The line quoted by Suderman isn't sufficient reason for an increase. The "market analyses" sources should be specified along with "other relevant criteria."
1:17 pm
Gray's ass need to go!
1:22 pm
This is CRAZY! I am moving out of DC!
1:32 pm
Gray seemingly has a political death wish. Purely suicidal.
1:59 pm
The highest level of pay for dc agency officials should not exceed level v ($199,700) for federal senior executives who have much more responsibility (providing services to the united states) vs a municipal government that serves 600,000 citizens.
2:08 pm
When is the next election?
2:22 pm
Gray's entire press and policy teams need to be fired.
2:37 pm
Amazing how the ignorant are always the first to post. Take a look at other "like-sized jurisdictions" and say that DC overpays their execs. How could any imbecile compare a state/county/municipal job with that of a non-technical politically appointed Federal Cabinet member? Get real people. Most of the co mentors don't remember Tony Wms first or second term...they only remember the idiot that ran DC dry- A.F. Study and gather facts before you speak. Any fool can write an article (ask Jonetta). How do you compensate a CHief Medical Examiner? What about the individual who leads emergency/homeland security response...who also happens to work very closely with DoD, the WH, DHS, etc...when their f
federal counterparts are compensated more than their published salaries.
For those that want to move- Thank you! You're only adding to the pervasive ignorance that exists with the ignorant population that gets their info on DC via the press. Most of you don't even know who your ANC is... jeez.
bTW..Skipper- you are correct!!!
3:34 pm
I agree with the first comment. It makes little sense to submit this bill without doing the necessary groundwork to inform the public and build consent on the council- a tough sell in this climate.
6:35 pm
JoBlow,
Ok, I'll bite. Take Wyoming, for example. Roughly the same number of people as DC. Their salary breakdowns are as follows (and this is for the GOVERNOR'S staff)
Chief of Staff: $106k
General Counsel: $105k
Press Secretary: $141k
Dept. of Health Director: $187k
Obvoiusly, there are COLA's to be made, but come on. On one hand I consider this move by Vince a positive - as it's a tacit admission that nobody reputable is going to join this ship of fools unless they are well rewarded. On the other hand, curious move since Campaign Vince talked nonstop about our impending financial doom and the need for shared sacrifice, then spent more than any mayor ever (this budget) and has made no effort to decrease staffing levels....
ONE CITY, many punchlines....
6:37 am
LOL @ Shawn Stokes - what a rube. Is ANYONE in this administration competent?
I wonder if Vince even wants to be mayor anymore....he's certainly living up to every campaign criticism thus far, and all save the most die hard One citidiots have jumped ship - and it all only took about 150 days. So much for the 200 day plan!
7:30 am
Gray, Brown and Alexander team needs to go! Gray and the crew is crazy as hell!
Ms. Yvette Pig Feet Alexander you will be the first to go. The Rosedale, Hill East are join forces with others in Ward 7 to vote your pink tail out.
Now for Vince and Kwame we have to deal with you both a little longer. But soon we can start the recall process on you dummies!
When I see these fools, I get sick to my stomach!
7:59 am
Gray needs to go, he is out of touch with a down economy.
9:39 am
Stokes claimed executive pay raises would allow the mayor "the much needed flexibility to hire and retain the best in the field".
Given Gray's poor judgment and personnel selection thus far, there's scant evidence he is competent to, or interested in, identifying and hiring the best in the field.
Can anyone name a top flight, must have executive who has turned down an offer to work for Gray solely because of the pay scale? I can't.
10:17 am
Gray doe the following:
Submits a sloppy budget requesting a tax increase to the rich,
Then he states he is ordering a spending freeze for all non-personnel expenditures,
Now he wants authority to increase his cabinet salaries by 100,000?
He screws over his volunteers and refuses to hire them, and he has a 29 percent approval rating.
He will not make it through his term, I do not think he wants to...
4:20 pm
This is the same legislation that was approved under Fenty -- and the salaries of 3 of the 4 persons subject to the legislation were set by Fenty, not Gray. That legislation expired. Thus, this bill seeks to ratify the salary previously authorized to be paid to the Chief of Police, Medical Examiner and Chancellor since 2007. The only "new" salary would be that of the Fire Chief -- and that is less than that of his predecessor.
The primary difference between this and previous versions is that this bill covers only 4 positions whereas the previous versions authorized higher pay for 6 positions. The original Fenty bill, that was amended by the Council, did not provide for Council approval of salaries in excess of the existing pay scale. This one does. Under the bill, no salary higher than the current cap can be set unless the Council approves the salary.
The bill was transmitted approximately 2 months ago. The Council, not the Mayor decides when to hold hearings on legislation. Read the text of the bill and not only the summary. It specifically names the salaries and positions affected. The Council has been, and will continue to be required to authorize salaries above the existing scale.
5:23 pm
@dcresident: You sound like someone who works for either the city council or the mayor. Assuming your post is accurate, don't you think it's odd that Mendo and Cheh (both of whom disliked Fenty and support Gray) blasted Gray's pay raise proposal?
I would have expected them to say something like "We know Fenty shoved it down our throats, and we didn't like it then. Additionally, it hasn't worked as Fenty claimed it would and/or we just can't afford it anymore."
Just as oddly, why didn't Stokes defend the proposal on the grounds you cite? I suspect there's more to this than your post suggests. Or maybe not.
Do you know the answers to the above questions?
6:40 pm
Just because a practice was carried out by Fenty does not warrant repeating by Gray. You don't become a political appointee to be rich - that's why so many efficient people in the private sector decline offers to join an administration. Gray should know better. This Stokes character is no better than Judy "I only deal with round numbers" Banks.
8:00 pm
Dcresident's post explains something that I've wondered about. If the salary cap is $179k, why were Rhee and Lanier being paid way more than that and the Council never seemed to be concerned about it? We all know from Rhee's national press she make $275k. At this point, I think the Council has to either roll back all the salaries to 179k mid appointment - which is stupid - or suck it up and approve them.
9:52 pm
@Truth Hurts - dcresident's post was mostly coherent - that alone makes it highly unlikely that he/she works for the Gray implosion - I mean administration.
I would be interested in reading dcresident's answers to the questions you pose.
11:19 pm
@ Rake: Agreed as to his/her post being coherent. Could be a Cheh/Mendo staffer, but I'm betting it's a recent Gray damage control hire.
Let's see whether my questions get credible answers. I'm not holding my breath.
12:50 pm
@ dcresident & Rake: Okay, I read the bill (clicked on link in LL's blog). While one section seeks to ratify existing salaries of police chief, medical examiner, school chancellor, and fire chief, the bill ALSO establishes TWO NEW ( and higher) PAY SCALES and DOES NOT limit those higher pay scales to only the four positions identified above.
See pay grades 6 & 7. If the bill is intended to cover, as dcresident implies, only the four named positions, the person who drafted the bill should be fired because it plainly applies to any new high level position the mayor chooses to apply it to. Subject, of course, to council review. Or not.
See, there's a little trick in the bill. Every executive position the mayor designates for the top two new scales are automatically deemed approved if the council fails to act within 45 days. Sorta like sending opposing counsel an email telling him/her that I win the case unless he/she replies within 10 days saying "No you don't".
So LL's blog is correct. The mayor wants to boost executive pay scales by up to 100k.
12:02 pm
Anybody here familiar with a serious discussion of
1. What evidence there is that public-sector executive pay at levels competitive with private-sector compensation has, since promotion 20 years ago, benefited public administration?
2. What growth of private sector executive compensation has done to ability of public sector to get highly qualified workers.
They mostly don't look like winners to me. And high public sector executive pay seems to have no impact on revolving - door subsequent private sector income. It is not as though a highly paid public health professional retires to work for just $125k for Salvation Army. There are damned few Anthony Fauci's out there.
12:18 pm
The salaries of many DC government employees (with the power, influence, and network behind them to do so) have been unreasonably increased - especially when compared with what these people have to offer. For example, just take a look at DOES. If you are a friend of the right person(s), can get into a relationship with the right man or woman, or are liked by the powers that be, an employee can be inefficient, make continuous mistakes, and nothings done about it. Their work doesn’t even get closely reviewed for quality. And those who see the mistakes better be careful in pointing them out. These people (let’s call them the in-crowd or the DOES Fenty holdovers) are given project after project and transferred from place to place to keep them employed (regardless of what they have to offer). THE OTHER EMPLOYEES, on the other hand, must watch themselves like a hawk even when deliberately underutilized by management (so that those they like can keep busy and look necessary). The amount of cronyism and partisan relationships (at least at DOES) make employees sharply aware of the unfairness and unethical behavior of those in charge. No one seems to care about the mission of their agencies or the public. It's all about the almighty dollar; it's all about power; it's all about stealing duties and jobs. We don't know about nepotism, but cronyism rules at DOES. It would be very nice if the DC government workforce could be ruled by fairness and ethical rules of conduct and that employees could again be seen as valued human capital. The criteria being used at DOES to hire and promote are not based on substance - but perception.
As for these salary increases, I agree with an earlier comment: government service was not meant to make one rich. This money spent by those elected to fairly represent us was earned by the sweat and hard work of the DC taxpayers (many I might add that DC government workers snub on a regular basis). The taxpayer's money was not meant to be spent like someone’s private bank account. Government is not private industry, but everyone has now made it so and brought along the idea that they should be compensated at corporate levels. Private industry is corrupt and has brought this country to the brink of economic failure. Private industry and its methods have just about destroyed the middle class and yet, government leaders have not gotten the message that the taxpayer money is not for making people rich or for the development of a highly paid class of workers who are really on nothing more than public welfare (government money). I think Mayor Gray is a decent man, but he is going to be a one-term Mayor if he continues making these kind of decisions. The city claims to have a financial problem – but it sure doesn’t look like it.
12:45 pm
Higher salaries - here is an example of what taxpayer money has brought:
The re-freshening of DOES needed to be done professionally and not with a sledge hammer. Notwithstanding various university degrees, Fenty brought in inexperienced and mean-spirited amateurs with no concept of how to evaluate, develop, structure, and/or manage a government agency with the complexities of DOES.
Fenty brought in people with no people-management skills; worse, in DOES, he brought in a Director to lead a diverse staff dealing with a diverse city whose behavior has been characterized by most as one or all of the following: suffering from an overflow of prejudices, predisposed to irrationality, exhibiting most signs of a racist outlook, biased, no social skills, and/or worse. Fenty was advised more than once that this Director was a severe problem; he ignored it because he did not seem to really care about the people or his workforce – he seems to have cared about power. Those of us who supported Fenty thought he would continue the progress of the Williams Administration. Instead, he went about, with unparalleled hatred, destroying DOES, other agencies, and a number of excellent employees.
With regard to cronyism, nepotism, and just plain bad personnel decisions, Mayor Gray is a saint compared to what Fenty (and his minions) promoted and sanctioned. Fenty decentralized the Human Resources function; at DOES, HR staff were hired or anointed into HR without any government HR experience of any kind. This is not unique to DOES – it happened all over DC Government under Fenty. Those same people are still in those positions and staff really have no where to go for justice. They were put into their HR positions to basically follow orders and to be directed – not to follow the law or oppose management.
DOES has been used, for the most part, as an employment dumping ground. The agency is filled with employees with no professional attachment to the field of employment services, career counseling, job development, or recruitment, etc; political affiliations, sorority and fraternity attachments, and who one knows rules the day and seems to be the only way to get employed, promoted, or recognized in DOES. During the Williams administration, this was being corrected. It was thought that Fenty would continue this process in an orderly manner. Instead, Fenty has practically destroyed DOES and left the mess to haunt Mayor Gray. Worse yet, a number of people hired under Fenty are still at the agency doing what they seem to do best – managing the agency into the ground and still exhibiting distasteful social, people skills (in a service, people-oriented agency).
Has Gray made mistakes? Yes, he has. On the whole, however, he is a decent man who actually cares about people. Unfortunately, he is now holding the bag for the mess left by Fenty, with Fenty people still in key positions, and with their hatred and determination to destroy his administration in the front of their minds. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that these people are low on management ability and people skills. Gray will be under attack every day for the next four years. That it just the way it is, and the media are being used to lead the attack. Raising salaries is not the way to go because by looking at what actually happens, there is no evidence that more money makes for more skills and ability. It obviously does not.
From 2007 to 2010 alone, this is a little bit of what happened at DOES: There were five different agency directors from January 2007 to December 2010 (Fenty let Gregory P. Irish go; then came Susan Gilbert, Interim 2007; Summer Spencer 2007-2008; Tene Dolphin 2008; and Joseph P. Walsh, Jr. 12/2008-12/2010). All of these director changes are available with an internet search. In March 2007, Fenty terminated Daryl Hardy (the second most knowledgeable management employee at DOES) and replaced him with Norman Aynbinder who left the summer of 2007 to move to New York City. There were five different Chief of Staffs from 2007 to 2010 (Sylvia Lane 2007-2008, Jerrianne Anthony 10/08 to about early 2009, Eric Scott sometime in 2009 to May 2010, Este Griffith May 2010 to June 2010, Melissa McKnight July 2010 to December 2010). The agency has not had a permanent Deputy Director of Workforce Development, Unemployment Compensation, and many other vita positions for years now. The Fenty people were trying to cherry pick every position with anyone that was not a DC resident and PREFERABLY not a person of color or maturity or experience. One person hired as Deputy Director of Workforce Development, Andrala Walker (a woman of color), in 2010 - left within two months. This is an example of how dysfunctional DOES has become. Many positions were left to rot under Fenty. There were staff changes in other areas just as harrowing as the above. Also, from 2008-2010, a small minority of people were given multiple jobs and duties even when these duties conflicted with each other. For example, one woman held four different and distinct jobs under Joseph Walsh. Another held two to three each and so on. A lot of stuff was done informally and few people in the agency were notified about who was doing what. Even now, duties remain misplaced. These things just increased the inefficiency at DOES and most employees were left out of the loop – not knowing what was going on with necessary agency work or who was doing what. As for communication, there was none unless you were "certain people." All this seemed to be by design. The talk was that the real goals were to outsource DOES and to make staff (especially long-term staff) look incompetent and redundant.
The current administration is still trying to unravel the Fenty mess – still discovering what needs to be corrected. During the period of 2007 to 2010, the administration staff increased significantly. Yet, the City Council said little to nothing about it and did not appear to wonder or analyze why there were so many duplicate staff doing bits and pieces of the same work. On top of everything else, the morale can’t get any lower.
There are many stories that could be told about DOES, but they aren’t being pursued. The media must stop their tabloid-like reporting of agency issues; it doesn’t help anyone. It just inflames and distracts people with erroneous information and prevents DOES from moving forward to meet its mission. It prevents real issues from being properly analyzed and presented. Go back to doing some real, deep journalism.
Some employees think Mayor Gray should have stood behind Rochelle Webb and helped her to make the needed corrections that he deemed appropriate. He might have considered calling in pertinent DOES management staff to scold them for not providing Rochelle with needed direction, advice, and support (whether she was receptive to it or not). As for Rochelle’s $165,000 – she got an extra $15,000 because the Chief Operating Officer was getting $150,000. Dr. Webb didn’t know the salaries at the time; so that wasn’t her fault.
If DOES remains an agency and its programs are not outsourced, it will take eight years of a consistent management style to get the agency back to where it was under the Williams administration. DOES must stop firing everyone, stop playing favorites, stop discriminating, bring back a communication vehicle for DOES employees and then let staff know about it, and include everyone in the mission of DOES and not just a few. To get the agency successful again, Mayor Gray must get a second term and we all must work together. A
1:28 pm
Wow, does seems to suck big time. For all the folks criticizing the gray administration, you need to give the mayor at least a year to clean up the fenty mess.
But think about it. If gray raises cabinet salaries on members living in the district, don't we get back the money in the higher taxes they have to pay due to the budget proposal? Seems like a smart strategy to me. They will be in the top percent making more than a certain amount, and pay their fair share. They're vested in the city as residents and employees and it behoves them to do well. So leave the mayor alone and encourage him to succeed not fail. That goes double for the media.
2:00 pm
@Mensa1, Wow - you aren't actually IN mensa, that's for sure. Although this: "To get the agency successful again, Mayor Gray must get a second term and we all must work together" - is the funniest thing I have read all day... as if your experience as a disgruntled DOES employee is the be-all, end all of DC politics and government.
Thanks for the detailed history and the rote blame Fenty nonsense, though - it's a sure cure for insomnia.
3:09 pm
@ Rake: You're right about Mensa 1 nutjob. Check out his/her comment #6 on the Thomas blog. Says HT is an excellent CM who deserves to be DC's next mayor. I rest my case.
6:06 pm
First and far most…all executives must be held accountable! No, more dept. heads and executives COSTING the city millions in law suits to be paid out AND THESE SAME BUMS ARE allowed to keep their jobs. They must be FIRED.
Prime examples.
1) Police Chief Ramsey and deputy chief Kathy Lanier should have been fired immediately when they sex-up the annual crime rate with deceitful low crime statistics.
2) Ramsey should have been fired for the illegal arrest of protesters at the IMF Summit which cost the city at least $200 million dollars to be paid out in the lost lawsuit.
3) Lanier must be fired immediately and not wait for the SECOND PAY out in the pending lawsuit of wrongly arrested car drivers based upon an alcohol breathalyzer that was not calibrated for several years. Can you imagine what the pay-out in that lawsuit is going to cost the city’s residents? Many wrongly arrested drivers lost their jobs, lost their families and experienced punishments that they did not deserve. I can speculate to the sum of at least $ 350 million to be paid to those wrongly arrested and convicted DUI drivers.
Folks with high paid salaried executives and dept. heads come the responsibility to not be a liability to the city in creating “costly’ lawsuits.
Oh! Don’t forget CFO Gandhi’s Tax and Revenue scandal. Incompetency must not be a liability to the city.
Wake up…Trusting Citizens.
Calvin H. Gurley
9:58 pm
If there was any confidence that the Mayor would actually be hiring the best and the brightest, I could see the justification. However, given the cast of ass-clowns and hangers-oners we have seen thus far, forget it.
And I am/was a gray supporter.
1:51 am
Guess we now know who "dcresident" is. Gray's press corp should have responded to LL's request for comment rather than posting an anonymous defense of Gray's bill. Now it appears Debonis has unmasked their scheme, and the mayor's office is reduced to taking a page from Shaggy: IT WASN'T ME.
Welcome to the real one city, not the fake one city the voters fell for.
9:47 am
None of you questioned Fenty's $$$ giveaways to unqualified Rheeform and Co . This is the real Cronyism.How much is Kwame's wife being paid in a job she is unqualified for as exchange for backing KAYA RHEEFORM ?
9:23 am
I campaigned for Gray; I voted for Gray. Not I'm disgusted with Gray. And his anonymous cronies. Their campaign was run on openness and here they are posting anonymously on blog posts.
9:54 am
@ john22
I think you meant to say "now" rather than "not". I know how it feels to volunteer and campaign for someone, only to later realize your candidate wasn't the person you believed him to be.
I volunteered for John Edwards both as a vice presidential nominee and as a presidential hopeful. I admired and truly believed in him. Even though he lost both times, I still feel he betrayed me and millions of others who spent our time, money, and energy on his behalf. He disgusts me.
So even though I never believed Gray to be the person portrayed by his campaign, I understand the disgust of many Gray supporters who believed in him.
3:52 pm
The money orders — made out to “Sulaimon Brown for Mayor” — total more than $600 and allegedly are a portion of payments Brown claims he received from Brooks and Lorraine A. Green, chairman of Gray’s campaign, to disparage then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty during last year’s elections. Brown, a long-shot candidate in last year’s race, alleges he was also promised a city job if Gray won.
Brown made the documents available to The Washington Post after the newspaper found that Brown campaign records possibly listed three friends or relatives of the Brooks family as alleged contributors. Brown said the money orders contained signatures and addresses that his campaign tried to decipher when it recorded the contributions, but campaign finance reports show misspelled names and incomplete addresses.
After researching the documents, The Post found the following apparent links: a $225 donation from Brooks’s son, Peyton; $100 from Litonya Livingston, who said she is Peyton’s girlfriend; and $335 from Aundrea Naylor, a cousin to Howard Brooks’s wife.
Livingston, of Silver Spring, denied the contribution, adding that she did not know why her name and address were listed on Brown’s campaign records.
“I have nothing to do with this,” she said in an interview Friday.
Naylor has called her apparent contribution to Brown’s campaign “bogus” and said she did not know how her name appeared in his report. She did not return a call or an e-mail last week.
Troy W. Poole, Peyton Brooks’s attorney, did not return a call for comment. Glenn F. Ivey, Howard Brooks’s attorney, said only, “Because there is an ongoing investigation, I can’t comment on the specifics at this time.”