Pay raise for mayor amid growing demands

Published 1:40 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher starts his days at 3:30 a.m. He replies to residents’ e-mails and fires off directions for city staff members. At 5:30 a.m. he leaves for his job at Pacific Tool Inc. in Redmond.

When he arrives home following his 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, he puts his mayor’s hat back on, attending committee and City Council meetings. But the meetings don’t end there. On many occasions, he must leave work early to act as Snoqualmie’s representative on various issues like transportation, development and Evergreen Forest Trust’s proposed $185 million purchase of the Snoqualmie Tree Farm, or attend events like Rep. Jennifer Dunn’s recent gathering of Eastside mayors.

For his efforts, Fletcher was granted a pay raise by the City Council at its last meeting March 11. The part-time mayor’s salary was increased from $12,000 a year to $20,000 a year, retroactive to the beginning of this year.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted that it was the dollar amount it was,” said Fletcher, who has, at times, had to use vacation and sick days at work to cover the time spent attending meetings and other functions.

“This allows me to make my mortgage payments and still represent the city at regional and state meetings,” he said.

The idea for increasing the mayor’s salary was first proposed last September. It came under fire from then-Councilwoman Cathy Reed and City Council candidate Matt Larson, who said it was inappropriate to discuss a pay raise during an election year.

With the election over, council members felt the time was ripe to increase the mayor’s salary. City Administrator Gary Armstrong proposed an hourly increase, but Councilman Greg Fullington suggested a flat figure of $20,000 a year.

“Fuzzy is so involved, I just don’t know how he can put in the time he does,” said Councilman Dick Kirby.

But council members stressed that the increase wasn’t specifically tailored for Fletcher. Snoqualmie’s population has more than doubled since development of Snoqualmie Ridge, and the city has been involved in significant issues like the Snoqualmie Preservation Initiative, the Army Corps of Engineers’ flood-reduction project and the proposed Snoqualmie Tribe casino.

“We’re not an ordinary city,” Armstrong said at the City Council meeting. “We have grown in ways that other cities will never experience.”

Fletcher will make more than other Valley mayors. North Bend Mayor Joan Simpson earns $14,400 a year, while Duvall Mayor Becky Nixon makes $12,000 a year. Carnation Mayor Stuart Lisk is paid $4,800.

There is no set standard for a mayor’s salary, but municipalities that have a strong city manager form of government, like Carnation, typically pay their mayors less than cities with a strong mayor-city council system. For instance Issaquah (strong mayor-city council) Mayor Ava Frisinger makes $48,000 a year while Troy Romero, mayor of the fast-growing city of Sammamish (strong city manager), is paid $11,400 a year.

Fletcher said he never asked for the pay increase, but it will allow him to represent the city better as it continues to grow.

“I think what’s happening is Snoqualmie is the spot everyone wants to go to,” he said.