“YES” to Better Pay for Public Servants

“YES” to Better Pay for Public Servants

The Tucson Metro Chamber encourages a YES vote on Prop 406, a proposal to increase the salary of the mayor from $3,500 per month to $5,775 per month and to increase the salaries of the six councilmembers from $2,000 per month to $3,300 per month.

The mayor of Tucson is a full time, executive position with responsibilities of overseeing a $1.43 billion budget and serving as the spokesperson and top elected leader for our city. Councilmembers are technically part-time positions, but anyone who has worked with them understands their work is full-time.  Though we sometimes disagree, the Tucson Metro Chamber works hard with these elected officials to promote a stronger local economy and build a better community.  Our support for Prop 406 has nothing to do with political alignment.  Equating political alignment and agreement to the worthiness of a compensation increase is an argument that critics of the proposition often use.  The Chamber simply believes a higher level of compensation is in order irrespective of the level of agreement or disagreement.  We further believe that increased compensation may also encourage more Tucsonans to seek public office, offering more options on the ballot.

The positions of mayor and councilmember deserve to earn appropriate income for their time and work. We hope you join the Tucson Metro Chamber in voting YES on Prop 406 this November.