Council pay issue looms

Elected officials routinely struggle with thorny issues, but those seeking Las Vegas City Council posts next year will face one right off the bat: How much they're paid.

The issue has extra significance because most city employees have given up raises and even taken pay cuts to help the city make ends meet during the recession, while an ordinance passed in 2007 means the next council representatives from Wards 1, 3 and 5 will get raises.

Of the confirmed candidates so far, two said the raise is justified if council members treat the position as a full-time job while one person said the raise shouldn't be implemented.

Lois Tarkanian, the Ward 1 council person since 2005, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Wards 1, 3, and 5 positions were paid $50,416 in 2009.

Ricki Barlow, who is finishing his first term in the Ward 5 seat, said he would accept the higher salary if re-elected.

"When I ran for election, one of the promises that I made was that I would be a full-time council person and not have any outside employment," Barlow said. "I treat this as my No. 1 job and not as a part-time job."

When asked if he expected criticism of that decision, Barlow said, "I don't know. I do know that I have served to the best of my ability and I look forward to continuing to serve the constituents of Ward 5."

Steve Evans, one of the candidates in the open Ward 3 race, said the position is a full-time one and should be treated as such.

"It could be more than a full-time job," said Evans, who works for the state and has experienced furloughs faced by many public sector employees. "Likely, it'll be my sole job ... it's essentially the same amount that I make in my other job.

Bob Coffin, who is also seeking the Ward 3 seat, said it would be nice to be paid any salary at all for the position. He served 28 years in the Nevada Legislature, where members receive a small salary during the session, per diem costs and a pension depending on years of service -- in his case, $700 a month.

"I just found out about the higher salary last spring," he said. "I was perfectly happy running for the job for what it was. I've been working for free for 28 years.

"I'd be happy if it just stays the way it is."

He also took issue with the way City Council compensation is structured under the 2007 ordinance. The salaries of council members equal 90 percent of the salary paid a Clark County commissioner.

"That means you're only worth a percentage of a county commissioner," Coffin said. "I don't buy that. A council member of a major metropolitan area is worth every bit as much as a county commissioner."

Council positions are considered part-time, meaning council members can accept outside employment.

The higher salaries have already kicked in for the Ward 2, 4 and 6 council seats.

Councilman Steve Wolfson of Ward 2 and Steve Ross of Ward 6 voted for the higher salaries but also promised they wouldn't accept them if re-elected in 2009.

Those positions are now subject to the higher salaries and a subsequent cost-of-living hike, making the annual pay $72,007. Before their re-election, the salary was $48,238.

Wolfson found a way to give that increase back, donating the net increase back to the city after paying taxes. Since May 2009, he has returned $20,209 to city coffers.

Ross accepted the large raise but is giving back the cost-of-living increase. He has returned $653 since July.

Wolfson and Ross have jobs outside their council duties. Wolfson is an attorney and Ross works for an organization that oversees a trust for labor unions.

Stavros Anthony, a retired police officer who was elected in 2009 to the Ward 4 seat, accepted the raises.

Las Vegas will also vote for new mayor next year. Ross is also running for that spot, and Wolfson might enter as well.

Under the salary ordinance, the next mayor will be required to work full time and will be paid roughly twice as much as the 2009 salary of $66,233.

Filing for the Las Vegas city elections takes place Jan. 25 to Feb. 4.

The primary will take place April 5. In races where no candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will move on to the June 7 general election.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@ reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.