MORE: Tornado-resistant homes with safe room in the works for Trotwood
Councilwoman Yvette Page, who represents Ward 2 and is running for mayor, voted to table the measure, along with Councilmembers Rhonda Finley, Robert Kelley, Jr., and Tyna Brown.
Mayor Mary McDonald, Vice Mayor Bettye Gales and Councilman Ronald Vaughn voted against tabling the pay raises.
McDonald is running for re-election against Page in today’s election.
Finley said this is not the right time to vote for pay raises, while the community is struggling to recover. Trotwood was heavily hit by the Memorial Day tornadoes, with more than 200 properties suffering major damage and more than 1,000 properties affected by the storms.
“I would argue a salary increase at this time would be poor judgment on our part. We have citizens who are still struggling to put their lives back in order. Our priority should be on our citizens,” Finley said.
McDonald, a Democrat, has called the criticism politically motivated and has said the division started after she started to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans, who control the Ohio General Assembly and the budget.
VOTERS GUIDE: Find out what’s on your ballot this November
She highlighted a list projects that have happened under her tenure, such as the re-opening of the Trotwood Community & Cultural Arts Center, which opened with the help of $250,000 from the state. The community center is also now home to a Central State University branch.
“We got off running to turn this community around because I knew the difference was that as a mayor I had to not be by my party but to reach across party lines because everyone in Columbus is Republican and in Washington D.C. … and I wasn’t willing to do like the previous administration and sit back and say ‘we’re not going to talk to them,” she said. “They respect us now. They understand us now.”
In 2018, the Trotwood City Council adopted the Compensation Board recommended pay hikes: $12,000 for the mayor, up from $9,600, and $6,000 for council members, up from $4,800.
MORE: Trotwood council candidate left city job after investigation
Additionally, the Compensation Board recommended a $50 per diem for the mayor, capped at $500 a month, that allows her to collect $50 each day she attends meetings or makes public appearances on behalf of the city, for a total $18,000 a year.
Some Trotwood residents, including a former city councilmen, have criticized pay hikes and per diem pay, and in the lead up to the vote had submitted public records requests for city documents.
The Ohio Ethics Commission is reviewing Trotwood’s pay policy, according to meeting minutes. The Ohio Ethics Commission does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Miami Valley area cities around Trotwood’s size — 24,000 residents — pay their mayors between a low of $4,773 in Xenia to a high of $23,580 in Troy, according to the Ohio Municipal League 2019 City Salary Survey. Likewise, city council pay ranges from $4,000 in Riverside to $12,927 in Springboro, according to the survey.
MORE: At least 750 homes still empty in Trotwood after tornado
The survey does not track additional compensation, such as per diem payments and benefits. The city of Centerville, which has a little more than 24,000 residents, reported the mayor makes an annual salary of $16,176 and city council members make $14,926.
The vote comes the night before an election with several city races. McDonald and Page are both running for mayor. Finley and Kelley are running to retain their seats, challenged by David Young.
Gales said at the end of the meeting that the council needs to unify and work to represent everyone in the city, not just a particular group or party.
“You all need to understand, we cannot grow as a community if we are divided. Regardless of what comes out, we need to become a unified council, a unified city,” she said.
About the Author