Denver mayor reverses course on big raises for appointees

CBS News

17-05-2025

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston backtracked late Friday, withdrawing a measure that would have given a dozen of his appointees hefty salary raises, a move that sparked considerable backlash.
The Mayor's office emailed the dozen appointees late Friday afternoon, writing, "We made the hard decision to not file the ordinance increasing salaries for the 12 executive directors that are in the City Charter."
CBS News Colorado reported on those proposed salary increases earlier this month. Those raises included:
-Manager of the Department of Aviation from $346,975 to $406,511 or a 17.2% increase ($59,536.00 raise)
-Manager of the Department of Finance from $185,365.82 to $266,162.32 or a 43.6% increase ($80,796.50 raise)
-City Attorney from $216,061.10 to $268,479.12 or a 24.3% increase ($52,418.02 raise)
-Manager of Department of Transportation and Infrastructure from $195,219.65 to $240,675.85 or a 23.3% increase ($45,456.20 raise)
-A proposed 31.9% raise for the Manager of Human Services, raising the salary from $176,000 to $232,000
The mayor's office sought the raises, saying these dozen appointees had not received raises since 2022 and needed additional compensation or the city would risk losing them.
Last week, a Denver City Council committee agreed the salary increases should be voted on by the entire Denver City Council, but some council members seemed skeptical about the timing of the raises
But the mayor apparently had a change of heart on the raises Friday, with his office saying, "We believe we can be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and attract and retain the talent necessary to run a world-class city. Which is why we will continue working with the council to ensure fair and competitive salaries for agency directors as part of the regular budget process."
The statement went on to note that all city employees receive regular merit raises except for the 12 positions, which are governed by the city charter. "We look forward to looking for solutions to pursue a more predictable approach to these positions, similar to how salary market adjustments are handled for all other city employees," said the mayor's office.
The statement said that because of "outdated provisions in the city charter, the salaries for those 12 positions are rarely and inequitably adjusted- only once in the last nine years."
The proposed raises sparked controversy and concern as the city is facing a weak economic forecast, and many city employees and managers are expecting furloughs and budget cuts to be announced soon.