Letter to the Editor: Not so fast
BY Nancy A. McKee, Tulsa
Sunday, March 10, 2013
3/10/13 at 4:17 AM
Whoa! Not so fast with that request by Tulsa city councilors for a raise. Let's review this carefully.
Before the councilors voluntarily sought election to their respective positions, they knew the salary, but they wanted the job anyway. The job was identified as a part-time position. They may not have known the job, but they knew the description. Meanwhile the councilors want more authority, i.e., input on selection of the city attorney. Yet they are ineffective regarding the trash board's manipulations.
A comparison of councilors' salaries in surrounding cities indicates Tulsa ranks third lowest in population and third lowest in salary, but the two cities lower than Tulsa have more than one-third more population. Oklahoma City seems to be doing quite well, according to the people I know who live there.
I cannot address the situation in Albuquerque.
Perhaps these elected officials should seek advice on office organization so that the job does not have to be full time. Or they could return to their own jobs in the private sector and consider their time as a city councilor a civic duty. After all, the position of city councilor is not intended to be a permanent position.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
Associated Images:
City councilors GT Bynum (left), David Patrick, Jeannie Cue and Jack Henderson listen to speakers during a public
hearing on its draft list of projects to possibly be funded through the Vision 2 proposition.
JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World file
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