Council approves $216K salary for city manager
The pay bump, its timing and its price tag caused a stir online and in council chambers. Councilors stood by the figure, saying it was warranted for a celebrated civil servant of 20 years.
The Laramie City Council raised the salary of its chief executive, City Manager Janine Jordan, to $216,000 during its meeting this week — doing so despite vocal opposition from members of the public.
Jordan has been with the city of Laramie for 20 years, having served as its highest appointed official for more than 16. According to the contract approved Tuesday, her job is immense, including oversight of “all City services” from public works to parks and recreation to the city’s police and fire departments, as well as its finance and administration divisions.
The job also requires Jordan to ensure “all laws and ordinances are observed and enforced,” to prepare and monitor the city budget, to report regularly to the council, to act as the local government’s main purchasing agent and negotiator, and to represent Laramie to the state and federal governments.
Her salary was previously about $173,000.
City councilors said they were happy to reward Jordan’s talent, achievements and loyalty.
“Here’s somebody that has exceeded expectations on all of her evaluations from — I believe — eight city councils, so eight combinations of these people, and she exceeds all of the rubrics,” Councilor Erin O’Doherty said. “She’s brought in at least $19.1 million [in grants] this year; she’s brought in her salary many times over … This is a multi-million dollar operation — many multi-millions — and she is the CEO essentially.”
Councilors also said they were eager to bring Jordan’s pay in line with other officials similarly situated across Wyoming.
“The city manager of Jackson makes $254,000 a year — and yeah, I know, Jackson, different thing — but the city manager of Casper makes $246,000,” said Mayor Brian Harrington. “The city manager of Gillette makes just shy of what’s proposed for our city manager, and has had two years of experience in the job. So, councilors, I intend to support this. I just want to say that I believe the data supports this.”
But not everyone was so happy or eager.
Organized opposition
The public first learned of the raise Friday when the city published the council’s upcoming agenda. The pay raise proposal got significant attention online. The local Republican Party, a Facebook page associated with the political action committee Time For A Change Laramie, and former city council candidate Paul Montoya urged residents to pack the room.
“This is an eleventh hour attempt to push through an employment contract that should be reviewed by the new city council that will inherit the fall out from this contract,” states a public post from Time For A Change. “We are asking that this item be pulled off the consent agenda and tabled until the new city council is in place. We must act now!”
Act they did.
Council chambers Tuesday were indeed packed and several residents, including some who said they had never been to a city council meeting before, voiced frustration and sometimes confusion regarding the proposed pay bump.
“She’s not the only one that can do the job,” said Billie Eckhardt, owner of the Bent & Rusty and a vocal critic of the current city leadership. “After 20 years, maybe it’s time for a new city manager. Have we ever considered getting a new city manager that’s just as capable that can do the job for less — or is it just an ongoing contract that never expires?”
Eckhardt recommended tying the manager’s salary to a local benchmark.
“A city manager should be invested in the success of their city,” she said. “Their salary should be equal to the median income of the citizens. That way, if they want to make more, they make sure their city is more successful.”
The city manager did not request her pay raise, Mayor Harrington said, but the city has been making strides to bring compensation for all of its employees up to market value.
“Some folks received a more than 39% increase,” he said. “The average citywide was just shy of 9% and those were adopted by the council. The city manager asked the council to hold off on her wage increase until we could ensure that staff received adjustments first. The raise we’re discussing tonight, along with her contract, is a result of completing those increases.”
Voting and referendums
Other commenters pushed to delay the vote until after the four new councilors elected this year take office in January.
“I believe you should table this matter and let the new council discuss it and let the public have a chance to examine the contract there,” said Diana Seabeck. “There’s lots in the contract that nobody’s had a chance to really look at.”
It’s doubtful the new council would have a different opinion about the manager’s salary. In the most recent council election, voters rejected the candidates most critical of the city manager — including Montoya, who made lowering Jordan’s salary a part of his platform.
“I will just add that it was made a bit of a referendum by some of the candidates for municipal office,” Harrington reminded the public. “And those candidates were not successful.”
Some public commenters cut against the thrust of the crowd. Linda Devine is a local defense attorney who has frequently, and publicly, disagreed with city officials. She said the raise was nonetheless earned.
“I have issues and disagreements with these folks quite often,” Devine said. “But you can keep those things separate, and you can value the work that people do, even if you don’t agree with them.”
Ultimately, the council voted to approve the raise on a 6-2 vote, with Councilors Brandon Newman and Andi Summerville casting the only no votes.
Newman said he personally supported the raise, but announced early in the discussion he would be voting against it given that so many of his constituents were opposed.
“I am the one that came up with the number,” Newman said. “When we first started talking about it, I’m the first one that threw that number out … and then the council discussed it, and that is the number in front of you.”
Councilor Pat Gabriel was absent for the relevant portion of the meeting.
Clearing the air
Despite frequent clapping and the mayor’s answering gavel, the council meeting Tuesday was not the rowdiest of the current council’s tenure. Still, some officials took time to push back on baseless accusations circulating online.
Vice-Mayor Sharon Cumbie cleared up a rumor that has long plagued Janine Jordan — the claim that she does not live in Laramie. In fact, Jordan has lived in the community for three decades.
“Janine is my neighbor and has lived around the corner from me for almost five years now,” Cumbie said. “She is definitely a resident of Laramie. And I would like that rumor to stop, because it’s absolutely false.”
Councilors pushed back on another claim, too. Several comments, online and in chambers, suggested the council was attempting to approve the raise quietly, without giving the public a chance to respond.
The salary raise proposal was originally included in the consent agenda — a bucket of everyday appointments, license renewals and other small items that the council approves as a batch with a single role call vote and no discussion. However, that has been standard practice for proposals of this sort — and councilors consistently move items slated for the consent agenda to the regular agenda when members of the public request it.
The councilors did this Tuesday, opening the item up for public comment and councilor discussion.
“The contracts of the folks the city council employs have always been on the consent agenda,” Harrington said. “There’s nothing atypical about that. And there has also been a request to pull an item for public comment, and that was granted. Again, nothing atypical. It takes one council member to pull an item. A council member requested it. Here we are.”
The council also approved a new contract for the City Attorney, Bob Southard, who was retained at $160,000 a year plus benefits.
This has been the talk of Wyoming this morning with Glenn Woods chiming in on the matter this morning based on the Cowboy State Daily article covering the same subject. I watched the replay of the City Council meeting last night and as an actual member of Ward 2, I am certain that Jayne Pearce, Andi Summerville and Brandon Newman are supposed to represent me, but they do not work for me. If these three actually worked for me then all three of them would have voted in support of the City Manager contract, but that is not what happened, two of my employees voted no, so how can that be?
I want to say that I have been extremely impressed with the work and candor that Councillor Newman has shown since he was elected as I certainly had my doubts. I expressed those doubts and to his credit he responded to my concerns. Brandon said straight up that he was the one that came up with this number to pay the City Manager and I again agree with the pay bump based on what I know about running a City at the behest of 9 elected Board of Directors that pontificate a lot, but when the rubber meets the road have to ensure services are delivered. What I disagree with Brandon about is taking a No vote on this issue because "I work for you" as he shouted to the back of the room.
These dissenters, that Brandon works for, claim to be business people and think they can negotiate a better deal with someone else. No wonder some of these business people are losing money as it is pretty clear they lack understanding of just what the Laramie City Manager does. In addition, I have watched some of these business people alienate the people that provided merchandise to them or they used their Free Speech rights that alienated customers that shop elsewhere. Free Speech means the government cannot restrict it, but it has consequences or as some say FAFO.
I travel the US and the World consulting on the very operations the Laramie City Manager runs; water, waste water, solid waste, storm water, incinerators and the biggest concern facing the managers of these operations is losing key employees without having an adequate way to mentor them in. Losing key employees or even key City Councilors like Jayne Pearce will set the City back if citizens are not careful. The next City Council should concern itself with devising a transition plan when Janine Jordan finally calls it quits instead of berating her for doing a great job.
This Council did the right thing even if my two employees Andi and Brandon voted NO.
Greg Hunter
45-2
Wondering whether the council contemplated public response when making this decision. It's not a bad decision; Brian and Erin are 100% right. But there needs to be a roll-out with education. Make some graphs comparing market rate, Jackson, Casper, Gillette etc. or a chart with the city manager's accomplishments. Then make sure that those who will vocally support the decision fill the room too. Use strong equity language, push back against these bumpkin we don't want to pay for things arguments. Be assertive about this rather than on the defensive.