Wide pay disparity exists between city managers and city worker...

To save money Chesapeake is firing 23 people and encouraging more than 60 others to retire.

[Scott Everard]

The city manager of a city this size must be well compensated. The alternative is to attract substandard prospects. The job requires an experienced manager with the dedication to prosperity. The salary is a small price to pay for this prosperity.

[Ann]

Just wait until they have to pick up their own garbage and take it to the dump site. They'll pay someone... Life is a circle you cut out a part and it never goes full circle again... it won't run as smoothly as it should/has... Pray for us all...

[jcc]

With chesapeake firing these employees they now will have the money they need to buy the noise meters for the new noise ordance .

[Thomas H Arrington III]

I have been bringing this compensation disparity to light for the past three years now. Whiile I can appreciate their educational background and the work that they do, no city manager should be making four times the amount of what the median income of their city is. It's outrageous that a city can have a budget shortfall, and the city manager is not held accountable. To layoff 23 workers and not reduce your upper managements compensation, is a resemblence of what we have all been complaining about in corporate America. At least Jim Spore faced the cameras, and stated his case. These administrators should not be making this kind of money, compare their salaries to similar job titles in cities like New York or Los Angeles. I have, and sent the documentation to Mrs. Bullock, with no resolve. We as taxpayers must bring this to a halt. there is no reason a 90,000 or 100,000 dollar salary in Hampton Roads is not considered above board, when you look at the median income of our localities. Let's elect City Council members who are not afraid to speak out against these abuses, and will write policy to correct them.

[scotte Hampton]

We are not supposed to get rich in government public service jobs.
Hell, they make almost half of what the president of the united states make, put it into that context. Are they responsible for half of what the president is responsible for? No! Cut their salaries

[Donna]

They laid off 23 employees, now saying 'they had poor performance'- I'm assuming to try to not have to pay out unemployment compensation. The city manager works '24/7', so I'm guessing that the city could save on his vacation package since he doesn't use it anyway?
It doesn't really matter what city it is, there is a lot of bull passing here. Apparently they all attended the same 'response forum'.

[Chelsea Man]

City Manager is a huge responsible multi faceted responsibility. A hotel manager or a country club manager makes almost $200K and a city manager's job is much more difficult than those.

The president has all a huge support staff doing everything for him. A city manager does not.

Get with the world people.

[real]

Why is WTKR trying to hard to demonize these people. They make what they're worth. Try getting a competent manager in for less. You can't. That's the market rate. That's the eduation level. Comparing the city manager salary to the average city worker salary is crazy. The average includes sanitation people, maintenence workers and others with no eduation.
The outrage would be if a city maintenence worker was making 150K a year. But a city manager? No, not an issue.

[Donna]

real wrote:

Why is WTKR trying to hard to demonize these people. They make what they're worth. Try getting a competent manager in for less. You can't. That's the market rate. That's the eduation level. Comparing the city manager salary to the average city worker salary is crazy. The average includes sanitation people, maintenence workers and others with no eduation.
The outrage would be if a city maintenence worker was making 150K a year. But a city manager? No, not an issue.

I don't see any demonization here.....what I do see is questions being asked as to why these people seem to be exempt from the cuts....which are valid questions as far as I'm concerned. Asking city employees to fill out a survey on how to cut city expenditures when you at the top are apparently not willing to be a part of that shows just how out of touch you are with your employees. Time for cities to clamp down on their budgets - and if that means that city managers have to start paying for their own cars and health insurance (which by the way city employees and retirees are expected to help pay for) then that is what should be done.

[John Mapes]

I think what infuriates a lot of folks is the arrogant attitude of high ranking and elected officials. Lest us not forget Mr. Spore chose to give high ranking city employees pay raises after the council implemented a pay and hiring freeze. I don’t care how he tries to justify it in is just not correct. The city council looked the other way. I know because I was so infuriated I wrote the Mayor and several members of council and actually got responses. Further more even with budget cuts from Richmond, Hiring and wage freezes the council still wants to spend money we don’t have on things that are not essential. The logic I am told is that the cost is 30% lower now then it will be in the future. So in this time of economic uncertainty the just want to raise the Real-estate taxes to pay for it. Ya know Best Buy has 60 plasma T.V.s on sale. Doesn’t mean I can afford them. The election ballot is a powerful thing. Guess some of these folks will just have to learn the hard way…

[To real]

The Sanitation people,maintenance workers,Utilities Workers Garbage men are the people who make this city run. The water men make $$$ everyday for this so called city that cares. And as for education learn how to spell before you come on a board and start talking about people jobs your English teacher just cut your own wrist b/c she failed, IDIOT......

[Good and Plenty]

This is a great article and i commend WTKR for looking into this situation. How dare Ms Bullock state that the City Manager works 24/7. Doing what? All these City Managers have assistants after assistants doing nothing too. They should be the ones who take a pay cut not the lower shots. Come on people WAKE UP!

[Good and Plenty]

It is totally ridiculous the about of $$$ these clowns make. Ms Bullock of chesapeake stated that the city manager works 4/7. Doing what may i ask. They have two or three assistants doing nothing also. I say wake up tax payers. This has got to stop.

[I AGREE]

The Assistants do all the work at every level through the whole city. He probably plays golf 3 or 4 times a week as his people through the whole city work there butts off and he makes all the $$$. Freaking joke

[Upset]

I am Truly upset it is not the city managers that is doing the jobs, it is the head of each and every department in the city that is doing the real work . Whether it be youyh services, human services, public works, water sewage , sanitation etc..they are the ones that cut the budgets in their departments and then send the report to the city manager and he or she takes all the credit it is not fair but selfish they need to get paid but not that much and start giving recognition where it belongs

[Not Quite]

I agree a well run city needs a competent manager, and in prosporous times I have no problem with him being well compensated. The facts are this: Mr. Harell came out of the gate with a grandious pay plan for city employees and then took it back. Mr Harrell recently proposed a .5% pay cut for all city employees. Mr. Harrell also recently recommended a change in the way city employees are paid that at the end of the day takes money out of their pay checks (the disparity corrects itself after 14 YEARS!!!) In Mr. Harrell's two years with Chesapeake he has time and time again attempted to take money from city workers...all the while cashing a fat pay check. Fact is times are hard and everyone has a burden to bare. William Harrell does NOT work 24/7.....police officers and fire fighters work 24/7 and sometimes they dont come home. The LEAST Mr. Harrell can do in these times of economic hardship is step up and recommend the fat cats take a 10% pay reduction to save lower level jobs. I hardly think his lifestyle will suffer with a mere salary of $153,000.00. Food for thought.

[A Chesapeake Employee]

Ms. Bullock's arrogance is only over shadowed by her belief that all of us are ignorant. The city manager works 24/7??? Please, I am a public safety employee. I have been called out of my bed in the middle of the night and have yet to see the city manager. Her comment that the highest paid employees work long hours and are dedicated is laughable as well. During the recent storm the city closed down and all of those "hard working, dedicated employees" went home while those of us in public safety had to work overtime. Oh, one other thing, we weren't compensated in any way for working because the City Manger did not declare an "emergency". It begs the question, why did he close the city down if it wasn't an emergency? You see, had he declared an emergency then all of those employees that were forced to work would have received additional compensation. At least I know now that the City Manager was working because he works 24/7, 365 days a year. Right Ms. Bullock and pigs fly. By the way, you are eligible to retire. why don't you take that incentive and leave. After all, you deserve a break from the long, hard hours that you work.