Assembly members, the mayor and borough staff are right: It’s time to pay elected officials a reasonable amount for all the hours they put into the job.
Yes, it’s a public service, but it’s still a job.
The assembly meetings, the homework, reading reports and financials and meeting with borough staff, state officials and the public — all of which are necessary for making well-informed decisions — take a lot of time. Public service is a good thing, but taking time off from work, paying for child care, missing out on time with family is a lot to ask of people serving for free.
Several assembly members during discussion of the proposal at the Feb. 13 meeting astutely noted that expecting all the work for free predetermines who will run for elected office — a lot of retired people. If Wrangell wants new candidates to step forward, younger residents to take a leadership role in the community with new ideas, a small payment per meeting is a reasonable approach to achieve that goal.
“If this would get one or two more younger people … to start giving us their ideas … I’m all for this,” Assembly Member David Powell said.
“I think it would bring in a younger wave of people,” said Assembly Member Anne Morrison.
Considering that the average age of Wrangell residents is almost 12 years older than the statewide average, the community needs to make an even stronger effort to draw younger people into leadership roles.
The proposal would pay the mayor $225 per assembly meeting, with assembly members to receive $150 per meeting. At those rates, assembly members could earn $3,600 a year, with $5,400 for the mayor. Not rich but a sensible amount the community could afford. It’s less than a lot of small Alaska communities pay their elected officials.
Though the assembly last week considered adopting the compensation plan by ordinance, they later realized it would take a change in the borough charter, which will require putting the question before voters on the ballot. Which is what the assembly should do.
Being frugal with public finances is a good thing. But being so tightfisted that it makes it harder to attract a diversified membership on the assembly is shortsighted. Volunteering a few hours a month to clean up flower beds or pick up trash or lead youth activities is one thing; working for free dozens of hours a month to make good decisions on millions of dollars is asking too much.
Let’s ask the voters to approve a modest compensation plan for the assembly.
-- Wrangell Sentinel
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