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Pay hike would offset long hours, Albuquerque City Council says

By Christopher Sanchez
Wednesday, July 25, 2007

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When Ken Sanchez ran for the City Council in 2005, he questioned whether the job would pay off.

"I said, `Do I really want a job that pays $9,500 a year? What's wrong with this picture?' " he said, laughing, on a recent Tuesday.

Money aside, Sanchez said he pursued the job because he's passionate about public service.

But working 30 to 40 hours a week on top of running an accounting firm is arduous, so a pay increase would help, said Sanchez, who also served on the Bernalillo County Commission in the late 1990s.

The council voted 5-4 in June on a bill sponsored by Sanchez to raise each councilor's salary from $9,500 to $30,000. The higher figure matches the pay for Bernalillo County commissioners, which is set by the Legislature.

Voters get the ultimate say on the proposed raise Oct. 2.

The council has asked Albuquerque residents for a pay increase 10 times since 1977. It was voted down each time, including in 2004.

City Councilor Sally Mayer, who voted for the pay hike, said Albuquerque residents will likely vote down the pay increase. But it should be on the ballot every two years until it's voted in, she said.

"I think that the public demands a lot from their city councilors," Mayer said. "I think we would be more well respected if we made more money."

Mayor Martin Chavez also predicts voters will reject the pay hike.

"For them to try and vote themselves a pay raise is a waste of taxpayer money," Chavez said. "And that's what folks are going to say when they go to the polls."

Chavez vetoed the legislation in June, but the council overrode him.

Public reaction is mixed.

Sanchez has done "a heck of a good job" in District 1 and deserves a pay raise, said Allan Ludi, president of St. Joseph Townhouse Neighborhood Association. But he'll have to work harder if he gets it, Ludi said.

"As that pay goes up, I would expect a lot more of a time commitment," he said. "$30,000 is not a whole bunch, but it's more than some people make in an entire year."

On a recent Tuesday, Sanchez's day was jam-packed with meetings. He met with leaders of neighborhood associations, state representatives, senior citizens, business leaders and the mayor.

Even in a restaurant, he was stopped twice and asked about city business.

At Los Volcanes Senior Center, one man asked Sanchez what construction crews were doing near his home.

"They've been digging and paving and digging and paving and digging," the man said. "Now I must ask you, `What the hell are they doing?' "

Sanchez told him they were working on the San Juan-Chama River Project, but he would look into the issue.

Sanchez said people ask him questions all the time.

"You got to give them the time. You got to make them feel like they have a voice," he said. "For them, it's probably the most important question at the time."

If councilors weren't allowed to have another job, the pay hike would be justified, said Irene Minke, president of Academy Acres North Neighborhood Association. But as it stands right now, Minke said she will vote it down.

"I would have to say, if they want a pay raise, it should be a full-time job," she said.