Highest Paid City Officials
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Other/Government/i-2q52rHr/0/O/flag20.jpg)
In this piece we take a look at some of the top wage earners employed by the City of Jacksonville.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-aug-highest-paid-city-officials
Is it just me or should the "highest" paid position in the city be the mayor (Im not saying he needs to give himself a giant raise). All of his support staff should be paid below him.
^Ideally no, because then you may have people running for the money, not the interest of serving the public.
BTW, JEA has 4 employees that would be on this list, 13 making over $150k, and roughly 225 that made over $100k last year (including OT and bonuses).
@citylife, the list includes only employees paid directly by the city.
So, JEA, JTA, JaxPort, School Board...etc are not included in the list.
The mayor is the 19th highest paid employee.
Quote from: TheCat on August 08, 2013, 09:33:08 AM
@citylife, the list includes only employees paid directly by the city.
So, JEA, JTA, JaxPort, School Board...etc are not included in the list.
Yea I know, was just pointing it out. That is where some of the shocking public salaries come from.
Also worth pointing out that there are 17 attorney's at OGC that make over $100k and I believe there are a total of >30 attorney's at OGC. Attorney's play a bigger role in government than people realize and can be very valuable, but it does seem like we are heavily staffed there, especially in relation to a lot of other city departments.
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Alan Verlander makes a lot of money for that kind of job.
Quote from: coredumped on August 08, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Have fun trying to hire competent folks away from private companies with this policy.
Quote from: MEGATRON on August 08, 2013, 12:08:25 PM
Quote from: coredumped on August 08, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Have fun trying to hire competent folks away from private companies with this policy.
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 12:59:17 PM
Quote from: MEGATRON on August 08, 2013, 12:08:25 PM
Quote from: coredumped on August 08, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Have fun trying to hire competent folks away from private companies with this policy.
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
Funny?!? I don't think I remember anyone on this board calling most (if any) of the people mentioned talented or knowledgeable.
I guess we're not spending enough.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 08, 2013, 01:03:47 PM
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 12:59:17 PM
Quote from: MEGATRON on August 08, 2013, 12:08:25 PM
Quote from: coredumped on August 08, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Have fun trying to hire competent folks away from private companies with this policy.
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
Funny?!? I don't think I remember anyone on this board calling most (if any) of the people mentioned talented or knowledgeable.
I guess we're not spending enough.
This board has done job evaluations for every COJ employee that makes over $100k? News to me....
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 01:08:45 PM
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 08, 2013, 01:03:47 PM
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 12:59:17 PM
Quote from: MEGATRON on August 08, 2013, 12:08:25 PM
Quote from: coredumped on August 08, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
No one should make in the 6 figures. Especially when you include all the holidays they get.
Have fun trying to hire competent folks away from private companies with this policy.
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
Funny?!? I don't think I remember anyone on this board calling most (if any) of the people mentioned talented or knowledgeable.
I guess we're not spending enough.
This board has done job evaluations for every COJ employee that makes over $100k? News to me....
We evaluate the jobs they do almost daily, don't we?
^LOL. Who is we? The general public who occasionally read a news article or see them make a presentation? There are probably >100 COJ employees making north of $100k. Do you know all these people? Do you know how stressful their job is? What their job opportunities are like outside of COJ? What their day to day job is like? I may occasionally offer a criticscm about Laquidara or some other COJ employee on here, but without having a birds eye view, I'm sure as heck not going to get into a debate about what their fair market value is. Typically a position is given a salary relative to the fair market value of similar positions in comparable municiplaities. That's not something an anonymous poster on an internet message board has a clue about...
That said, I absolutely think there should be trimming of the fat within COJ, but having worked in government, the fat is usually in the lower and mid levels, while those in management carry the load and pressure.
Quick Stephen, please tell me the salaries of the head attorney for Charlotte, Tampa, Nashville, etc? How about their Public Works Director and so on....
Let's back up a second. You started with:
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 12:59:17 PM
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
as a comment meant to justify the pay they're receiving. Right?
Well, in the private sector, if you don't perform up to your billing, you're typically let go and replaced. Is that the case with city employees? Has the mayor done the job he said he would? Has Laquadaria (sic) performed to her level of pay? Why should we, the board, both literally and figuratively, be burdened with this seemingly incompetence for 4 years at a click.
I'm neither justifying or arguing against their pay levels. What I'm tired of hearing is the comparison with 'private sector' v/s 'public sector'. What ever happened to civic duty? People want to bitch about budgets, pensions and medical coverage, but the most basic answer that I can offer is that the city government is operating exactly like a private company with zero accountability... well, not zero, but after 4 years or 8 years or whatever, it's not their problem anymore and they can move on.
140 inches a year. 72 Argentine Peso's per bushel. Ask her to watch Amelie at your place.....
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 01:54:45 PM
140 inches a year. 72 Argentine Peso's per bushel. Ask her to watch Amelie at your place.....
Hahahahaha.....
Google
Magic Eight Ball
Experience?
Nice.
LMAO!
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 01:54:45 PM
140 inches a year. 72 Argentine Peso's per bushel. Ask her to watch Amelie at your place.....
Kudos, that was a good one. Well played gentleman, well played.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 08, 2013, 01:48:09 PM
Let's back up a second. You started with:
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 12:59:17 PM
...Or keeping anyone with any talent/knowledge away from the private sector.
as a comment meant to justify the pay they're receiving. Right?
Well, in the private sector, if you don't perform up to your billing, you're typically let go and replaced. Is that the case with city employees? Has the mayor done the job he said he would? Has Laquadaria (sic) performed to her level of pay? Why should we, the board, both literally and figuratively, be burdened with this seemingly incompetence for 4 years at a click.
I'm neither justifying or arguing against their pay levels. What I'm tired of hearing is the comparison with 'private sector' v/s 'public sector'. What ever happened to civic duty? People want to bitch about budgets, pensions and medical coverage, but the most basic answer that I can offer is that the city government is operating exactly like a private company with zero accountability... well, not zero, but after 4 years or 8 years or whatever, it's not their problem anymore and they can move on.
I'm totally with you on the accountability thing...I'm really just addressing the poster that said that no city employees should make more than $100k. I've got to run to a meeting, but I'll try and touch on how much it would hurt COJ to not be competitive in the pay market later.
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 09:48:21 AM
Also worth pointing out that there are 17 attorney's at OGC that make over $100k and I believe there are a total of >30 attorney's at OGC. Attorney's play a bigger role in government than people realize and can be very valuable, but it does seem like we are heavily staffed there, especially in relation to a lot of other city departments.
Several department heads are also lawyers...
Carla Miller, Ethics office
Cleveland Ferguson, Mayor's Deputy Admin Officer
Terrance Ashanta Barker, Community Development
Alexis Lambert, Public Accountability
any others? there certainly is a high %age of lawyers on staff
Good article and one that I am glad to see presented. Understanding who is being paid to do what and how much in this city is a very important thing. Two things just to add to the facts. John Germany has left the employment of the City. Carla Miller, the City Ethics Director is not among the top paid. Her pay is in the area of 60K. She is grossly underpaid and does the work she does because of a sense of responsibility to the people of Jacksonville. Many don't know that she is considered a worldwide expert on Ethics and her job is perhaps one of the most difficult in the city.
There are some members in the mayor's administration that are worrisome to me, not because of their pay rate but rather because of their political connections and corporate mentality which may not be representative of the feelings and desires of local taxpayers.
There are also some superfluous positions in the Mayors administration which while not on the list are expenditures that are to my view without true merit beyond looking good. For instance former senator Tony Hill. What does he do? Anyone? How about the 60k figure sports guy who the mayor hired after taking a private plane trip to one of his functions? Or how about the "education" czar who is basically a redundant show piece of the mayor who is now another person to negotiate around for the true Duval County School Board. Or there is that personal photographer and extra body guard. This is this type of thing that gets under the skin of taxpayers. It is really waste where there should be none.
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 01:42:46 PM
Quick Stephen, please tell me the salaries of the head attorney for Charlotte, Tampa, Nashville, etc? How about their Public Works Director and so on....
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/04/29/94573/city-of-charlotte-salary-database.html?appSession=95960563685545&RecordID=&PageID=2&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=asc&CPIorderby=Annual
http://data3.tennessean.com/view-database/metro-nashville-employee-salaries-604.html?page=0&sortcolumn=2&sortorder=Desc#dataset
Quote from: m74reeves on August 08, 2013, 02:07:33 PM
Quote from: CityLife on August 08, 2013, 09:48:21 AM
Also worth pointing out that there are 17 attorney's at OGC that make over $100k and I believe there are a total of >30 attorney's at OGC. Attorney's play a bigger role in government than people realize and can be very valuable, but it does seem like we are heavily staffed there, especially in relation to a lot of other city departments.
Several department heads are also lawyers...
Carla Miller, Ethics office
Cleveland Ferguson, Mayor's Deputy Admin Officer
Terrance Ashanta Barker, Community Development
Alexis Lambert, Public Accountability
any others? there certainly is a high %age of lawyers on staff
I tend to think lawyers and politics go hand in hand, all they way back to the beginnings of this country.
JayBird, did you read my above post about Carla and what she is paid? She certainly does not belong in the overpaid category. Of the many attorneys I have know working within city government, she would have to be one with the greatest integrity in office that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. ;)
Yes I did, and agreed with your post. I was just merely pointing out that in my opinion no matter where you look in city, state, national politics you'll find a high amount of lawyers. Kind of like saying a lot of doctors work in a hospital.
Quote from: Cheshire Cat on August 08, 2013, 06:11:56 PM
JayBird, did you read my above post about Carla and what she is paid? She certainly does not belong in the overpaid category. Of the many attorneys I have know working within city government, she would have to be one with the greatest integrity in office that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. ;)
he was reacting to CityLife's and my posts about the plethora of attorneys on staff in the City. i was not singling these people out b/c of their pay or saying they're unqualified.
just another interesting fact to look at in addition to people's salaries.
:) I hear you guys. I have a soft spot for Carla because she has fought so long and hard for ethics in this city and much of her battles are unknown to the citizens. I knew what you were saying in your posts, just wanted folks to know that she is paid little for all that she does. Just a wonderful woman.
Quote from: Cheshire Cat on August 08, 2013, 06:27:12 PM
:) I hear you guys. I have a soft spot for Carla because she has fought so long and hard for ethics in this city and of her battles are unknown to the citizens. I knew what you were saying in your posts, just wanted folks to know that she is paid little for all that she does. Just a wonderful woman.
One would assume that it may be a touch of that 'civic pride' that I mentioned a few posts ago.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on August 08, 2013, 06:35:46 PM
Quote from: Cheshire Cat on August 08, 2013, 06:27:12 PM
:) I hear you guys. I have a soft spot for Carla because she has fought so long and hard for ethics in this city and of her battles are unknown to the citizens. I knew what you were saying in your posts, just wanted folks to know that she is paid little for all that she does. Just a wonderful woman.
One would assume that it may be a touch of that 'civic pride' that I mentioned a few posts ago.
Tis indeed. :)
Seriously, I always wonder what would happen if city government paid every single person a peasant's wage. What doctor would work for the Medical Examiner's office? Good luck trying to get a person to spend a decade in school, get a ton of student loan debt, to come work for nothing?
Plus, if there's one thing that the IT field and city government have in common, it's that the boss doesn't always make the top salary. That happens a lot in IT, because if you need someone on your team with a technical specialty, the market might say this person makes X, even if you make X-10%.