I read in the Kent Reporter that Mayor Cooke desires a raise of $31,000 to approximately $133,000 a year.
I oppose this raise for a several reasons:
1. When Mayor Cooke sought reelection as mayor she was aware what the position paid. If she wanted a higher salary, she should have run as mayor of one of the higher paying cities like Renton or Everett.
2. Giving such a raise at this time in the city’s history is ill-advised since the city does not have enough money to even underwrite the annual losses of the ShoWare Center, and the city is still deciding on the sale of the Riverbend par 3 golf course.
3. In addition, to grant a raise to a Mayor Cooke seems incongruent with the economic condition of the city as a whole at this time. Many of our city’s families are on the precipice of having their homes foreclosed on since they are either unemployed or underemployed and when businesses seem to be vacating their shops in downtown Kent.
Maybe at a different time in a more prosperous Kent, a raise for the mayor might be deemed appropriate, but not at this time when many families and businesses are struggling. The family’s breadwinners don’t have the luxury of increasing their wage base or the businesses can’t raise prices without threatening the loss of customers.
Again, I oppose any pay raise for Mayor Cooke at this time.
– Mark H. Ekern
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