Thoughts on Tucson's Prop 100

I'm such a bad local blogger. We had a city election yesterday and I didn't write a single post on it. I'll sit here for a few minutes while you flick granada seeds to dole out a proper chastisement.

Regarding Proposition 100 that was on the ballot, I have to say that I'm saddened that it didn't pass. Normally, I would be opposed to giving such a hefty raise to public officials, but the annual salary figures for the City Council and Mayor are shameful.

Proposition 100 would have raised council salaries from $24,000 to $36,000 per year and the mayor's salary from $42,000 to $48,000.

linkage

We should be paying the people at the top of this area's government better than the current figures. I realize that it's often a reflexive response to deny raises to lawmakers, the Flying Spaghetti Monster knows that I've done it on a federal level in the past, but really - there comes a point where we cheapen the value and commitment expected from the council by not paying the position its worth.

Of course, the other thing is that only 25%'ish of voters made the effort to cast a ballot yesterday so there's obviously a lot of work to be done on the civics level.

My dos centavos.