Hilo plans to reward re-election with raise
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — How much is a politician's experience worth?
For a Hawai'i County council member, it means a 2 1/2 percent pay raise each time he or she wins re-election, under a salary increase plan approved yesterday by the Big Island Salary Commission.
The re-election raise was part of a proposal that also includes 20 percent across-the-board raises for all nine County Council seats, effective in December.
"Upon re-election they're certainly going to be better at doing that job," said commission member Paul Mann, who helped draft the pay increase proposal. "I don't think anybody would disagree with that, and they ought to be compensated for it."
No member of the public attended the meeting to speak either for or against the plan.
The plan increases the base pay of a council member from $32,700 to $39,240. The chairman's pay would increase from $36,312 to $43,574.
The new plan also provides additional 2 1/2 percent raises each time a council member wins re-election. The County Charter limits council members to no more than four consecutive two-year terms.
Under the plan, a council chairman re-elected three times could earn a top salary of $46,298, while a council member re-elected three times could earn a top salary of $41,693.
Any new council member would start at the base pay of $39,240.
Mann said other members of the commission said the pay raises are justified because they bring the council salaries in line with other elected officials around the state and nation with similar responsibilities.
Although the council member jobs are technically considered part-time positions, Mann said they have actually evolved into demanding, full-time jobs.
"This part-time job — it's titled as a part-time job — certainly takes more than 40 hours a week," he said. "In some cases, it's more like 80 hours a week."
The council was granted a smaller raise two years ago, and the Salary Commission earlier this year handed out raises to Big Island Mayor Harry Kim's department heads and their deputies.
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.
