It is interesting to see what some City employees are making, especially when you consider that most of the people listed work much longer than 9-5, longer than 50 hours, and some are on call 24/7 ( I can just imagine Fire Chief Bonnie anxiously checking her watch, hoping the fire is out before she clocks out at 3:30) As a City employee, I was making $62k as a Project Coordinator. In the private sector, I'm doubling that, and don't have to attend neighborhood meetings!
We have some smart, talented, and hard-working people working for us in the City. The City may have some problems, but over-paying staff isn't one of them. Compared to what they're worth on the open market, we're getting a deal. Bill Radosevich Lyndale > Message: 7 > Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 23:05:18 -0500 > From: Mark Snyder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Mpls] How much do some city workers earn? > To: Minneapolis Issues Forum <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > > > While it's interesting to learn what some city employees may be earning, I'm > struggling a little bit with what the point of this column was. > > Perhaps I'm being distracted by the "R.T. Lybak" stuff, but my understanding > was that it was only a month or so ago when city leaders announced that > every city department had stayed under budget over the past year, something > so rare that nobody could remember the last time it happened. Apparently, > these city employees are doing a pretty good job, at least as far as fiscal > management is concerned. > > If the point was that CPED is or should be expendable, I think Peter Vevang > has already explained quite well why that point may want to be reconsidered. > > If the point was that the mayor doesn't really value public safety, I would > refer folks back to what he did with the money that was saved from all those > departments scrimping - paid down some more of that debt he inherited from > the previous administration to free up another $1 million a year that will > be dedicated to public safety. > > Or maybe the point was just to take a cheap shot at the mayor. That seems to > be the trendy thing to do these days... > > Mark Snyder > Windom Park > > > On 4/27/05 3:49 PM, "Booker Hodges" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Are Mpls taxpayers getting what they pay for? > > By: Booker T Hodges > > Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder > > Originally posted 4/27/2005 > > > > In my very first column in December, 2002, I listed the salaries of some of > > the executive directors of nonprofit organizations in Minneapolis. In this > > column, I am going to list the salaries of some of the employees of the City > > of Minneapolis, and of course add my editorial comments. > > > > This is public information. In this column I will also discuss R.T. Lybak's > > lack of commitment to public safety. > > > > Let's start with the mayor's office. The mayor has 10 staff working in his > > office. I am just going to list the salary ranges of his appointed staff. > > > > Deputy David Fey earns $82,702 a year, and his job responsibilities are to > > serve as chief of staff, policy and communications advisor, and project > > manager. > > > > Douglas Gardner, who serves as the policy aide constituent services, earns > > $49,807 to $54,049. Mr. Gardner's responsibilities are constituent services > > manager, mayoral appointments and open houses, Minneapolis One Call system > > design and implementation, and policy advisor. > > > > Kinshasha Kambui, who serves as the policy aide community outreach, earns > > $49,807 to $54,049. Ms. Kambui's responsibilities are community outreach > > planning and implementation and policy advisor. > > > > Erica Prosser, who serves as executive assistant to the mayor, earns $53,673. > > Ms. Prosser's responsibilities are schedule and logistics manager for Mayor > > Rybak and administrative support manager. > > > > The senior staff members ��- Laura Sether, who serves as senior policy and > > press secretary, and Peter Wagenius, who serves as senior policy aide council > > liaison - earn $61,710 to $68,206 a year. > > > > Ms. Sether's responsibilities are media relations, communication strategy and > > policy advisor. Mr. Wagenius' responsibilities are policy advisor and project > > manager. > > > > Erik Takeshita, who serves as the mayor's senior policy aide project > > coordinator, earns $70,296 to $77,737 a year. Mr. Takeshita's responsibilities > > are policy advisor and project manager. The mayor also has two office > > associates and an executive assistant working in his office. > > > > Each council member has one aide who is paid $49,807 to $55,049 a year. Each > > council member is also assigned an office associate, who is a civil service > > employee. The mayor earns $92,376.42 per year, and Minneapolis City Council > > members earn $70,312.60 a year. > > > > The heavy-hitters on the city payroll all work in the Community Planning and > > Economic Development Department (CPED). > > > > Director of CPED Lee Sheehy earns $113,569 to $125,523 per year. > > > > Mike Christian, dir-ector of economic policy and development for CPED, earns > > $103,500 to $114,395 per year. Chuck Lutz, who serves as CPED deputy director, > > earns $109,094 to $120,577 per year. No other City department has four > > $100,000 earners. > > > > The mayor created CPED, and it operates as the real estate wing of the City. I > > could write an entire column on this department, which is the baby of the > > mayor, Council Member Lisa Goodman, and Council President Paul Ostrow. CPED > > staffers earn more money than most City department heads. > > > > Civil Rights Director Jayne Khalifa earns $93,292 to $103,112 per year. > > Director of Communications Gail Plewacki earns $84,901 to $93,838 a year. Ms. > > Plewacki tried to punk the Spokesman last year about the award-winning > > Empowerment Zone stories, but of course it didn't work. The mayor increased > > the communications department budget by almost $2 million from fiscal 2003 to > > 2004. > > > > City Attorney Jay Heffern earns $116,366 to $128,614 a year. The two deputy > > city attorneys earn $101,682 to $112,386 a year. > > > > Bill McManus, chief of police, earns $123,791 to $136,823 a year. Fire Chief > > Bonnie Bleskachek earns $105,598 to $116,714 a year. Deputy police chiefs earn > > $100,702 to $111,304. The assistant fire chief earns $95,390 to $105,429 a > > year. > > > > Director of Human Resources Pam French earns $104,899 to $112,563 a year. > > Empowerment Zone Director Jonathan Palmer earns $65,043 to $71,890 year. City > > Coordinator John Moir earns $123,358 to $136,343. > > > > I listed these salaries so people would know how much money we are paying some > > of our City employees. I would like to note that three of the CPED staffers > > listed above received $30,000 raises per position in this time of an alleged > > budget crunch. > > > > I just wish that the mayor would be as committed to public safety as he is to > > CPED. Lybak continually says that public safety is his number-one priority, > > but his actions indicate something different. > > > > Our police department doesn't even have any more space in its evidence storage > > facility to store evidence. The department now has to rent PODS to store > > evidence. PODS are those portable white storage pods you may see in front of a > > house where someone is moving out. > > > > Some fire fighters at Fire Station 17 are sleeping in the basement of the fire > > station because there is not enough space to house them. The police department > > is also in need of a crime lab. > > > > Lybak should cut the budget of CPED in half and give it to the police and fire > > departments. Residents of Minneapolis are paying property taxes for platinum, > > but we are getting sterling silver, if you know what I mean. > > > > You can't blame the governor for everything, Mayor. > > > > > > Booker T. Hodges welcomes reader responses to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 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