A raise for the Mayor?

Some around the Timmins city council table feel the person sitting in the Mayor’s Chair should earn more.

Timmins Mayor Steve Black sits at a $71-thousand dollar annual salary, something Councillor Noella Rinaldo says is “considerably low” if the city is looking to attract quality candidates.

The Mayoral race over the last five elections has seen plenty of familiar faces. And the voting results were sometimes blowouts.

In 2014, then-Councillors Steve Black and Todd Lever (as well as Allan Manchester) were rivals after then-Mayor Tom Laughren opted not to run.

Black won that election with 64.58% of the vote with Lever coming in 2nd with 33.09%. Manchester earned 2.33% of the vote.

• In 2010, Laughren was re-elected by beating out Manchester with nearly 90 per cent of the vote
• In 2006, there was no need for a vote as Laughren was acclaimed Mayor with incumbent Vic Power opting not to run
• In 2003, Power was elected over incumbent Jamie Lim with 63.93% of the vote
• In 2000, Lim was elected with 60.42% of the total vote. She was up against Paul Gaudreau and Doug MacDougall

Back to the wages and speaking of a history lesson, Councillor Mike Doody earned $17-thousand dollars a year when he was Mayor in the late 1970’s.

He says the job has become a full-time seven-days-a-week that’s always evolving and is also in favour of the raise.

Councillor Rick Dubeau suggests the salary should be at least 50 per cent higher. For those who want some quick math, half of $71-thousand is $35,500. Add that together, that makes $106,500.

By comparison, Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger earned $143,347 in 2016 with benefits included in that. North Bay Mayor Al McDonald earned just over $65-thousand dollars in that time.

CLICK HERE for the full discussion, under Item 2B (about the 6:00 mark).