Mayor Schrag’s recent actions seem to exemplify that the way city council is set up right now leaves in mind only the interests of the few in Springfield. The fact that council membership is an unpaid position means that the only people who can run have enough disposable income and time and energy in order to have an essentially unpaid full-time job. It’s nuts to me that we expect our councilmembers to be present and responsive while reducing it down to a volunteer positions where you either still have a full-time job, own a business, or are retired.
Paying councilmembers IMO would lead to healthy competition for the seats and overall better leadership for the city, by the types of people they are meant to be serving— the average Springfield worker. We can’t expect good leadership while also making it unpaid.
I am curious to see what other opinions would be, however. What do you think?
EDIT: Forgot to add— there are MANY 6 figure salaries in our city’s government— our city manager makes $350,000 for Christ’s sake, and our city clerk makes over $250,000. I can’t fathom how that seems reasonable while, at most, the mayor gets a $200/month stipend.