Citizens shouldn’t pay for pay dispute

Everett’s citizens should be disappointed by the effort of a majority of the City Council to selectively disregard much of the well-considered work of the Citizens Salary Commission. Given Councilman Mark Olson’s recent legal problems, it may be understandable why he would want an early receipt of a salary increase to help pay his legal expenses. However, I don’t believe taxpayers should pay the fees of outside counsel simply because the salaried city attorney is “moving too slowly to answer” Olson’s questions.

It would be ironic, and perhaps appropriate, if Mr. Leach should determine that the commission’s decision to set Jan. 1, 2008 as the effective date of the increase was not valid, and therefore it is unknown what increase, if any, they would have authorized if they’d realized it would commence some six months earlier. Then the increase itself is invalid.

If I were a City Council person I don’t know if I’d want to risk such an obvious outcome, in which case I’d even have to refund the increase I’d been paid since Jan. 1, 2008.

DENNIS BRITT

Everett