Mayor’s Salary Would Apparently Go To $108,929 Under Raise Proposal

A proposal would apparently increase the salary of New Britain’s mayor, again, to 24% higher than it was in 2021.

The proposal appears to more than complete a proposal made in 2017 by city Republicans to provide the New Britain’s mayor’s position with a 23% salary increase. That 23% mayoral salary increase was set aside at the time, amid public opposition.

But three years later, in 2020, a Republican controlled City Council approved a 13% mayoral salary increase by on a party-line vote.

The 13% 2020 mayoral salary increase was apparently to $99,026, therefore a 10% increase on top of that would apparently increase the salary of the office of mayor to $108,929.

The new mayoral salary would be appear to be considerably more than double the $50,031 estimated median average household income in New Britain in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The median household income of $50,031 would mean that half of New Britain’s households lived at that income or lower in 2019.

Mayoral salary increases take effect after the next city election, so the proposed increase would occur after the 2023 city elections. However, Republican Mayor Erin Stewart did receive apparently the pay increase that was approved by the Council in 2020 after the 2021 city election.

The new proposal mayoral salary increase was approved by the Council’s Compensation Committee, led by Ald. Matthew Malinowski (R-AL). The proposal is now scheduled for a public hearing in front of the Council Committee on Administration, Finance and Law.

The public hearing is planned for Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 6:00pm in the Council Chambers on the 2nd Floor of City Hall at 27 West Main Street.