Why is Azusa City Manger making so much more than

[my2kidsmom]

How can this be? Are we the next City of Bell? Does our city provide us with better roads, schools, parks, and so on…?

UPDATED: No Bell type salaries in local San Gabriel Valley cities
By Daniel Tedford on July 21, 2010 10:32 AM
The reporting staff here at the Tribune came together like the A Team ... no wait ... The Justice League (way more fitting) to check in on local cities to see what the City Managers and City Councils are making in the wake of news reports about the city of Bell's City Manager making something like $800,000.
Here is the rundown. (Note: most of us had this information on hand as we regularly check on these things. In cases we didn't, the city handed over the information readily)
Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers makes $201,816 annually.
La Verne's (soon to be retired) City Manager Martin Lomeli makes $194,580 annually. (Side note: La Verne City Council just passed an ordinance for City Manager pay with $160,600 as the base pay with $195,000 at the peak)
San Dimas City Manager Blaine Michaelis makes $196,452 a year.
Azusa City Manager Fran Delach is paid $212,483 annually. (He got a 5 percent raise at the beginning of this year)
Rosemead City Manager Jeffrey Allred gets $175,000 a year.
El Monte City Manager Rene Bobadilla makes $170,000 a year.
South El Monte City Manager Tony Ybarra takes in $120,000 a year.
Covina's Daryl Parrish's annual salary is $199,500.
West Covina's Andrew Pasmant gets $223,656 a year. (UPDATE: Councilman Mike Touhey called to tell me that Pasmant took the equivalent of a 5-percent pay cut on his deferred comp. That saves the city about $11,000, Touhey said.)
Walnut's Rob Wishner is paid $196,650 a year.
La Puente's Josi Kenline gets $160,000 a year.
Industry City Manager Kevin Radecki takes in $158,133 a year.
Diamond Bar's James DeStefano's salary is about $194,000 a year.
Baldwin Park's Chief Executive Officer made $152,000 a year in 2006, up to $800 a month in lodging, $1,200 a month in health and dental - reimbursed in cash if not all spent - and $300 a month in vehicle expenses or a city car.
As for City Council stipends, San Dimas councilmen make $620 a month while Mayor Curt Morris earns $830 a month.
In La Verne, the city council brings in $519 a month and is entitled to the same benefits as executive management employees. Council woman Robin Carder and Mayor Don Kendrick waived those benefits. In addition, the redevelopment agency pays $30 per meeting. City Clerk Evelyn Clark said they meet about four time per year.
Glendora council members bring in $700 a month.

[highlander]

IMO, his salary is reasonable and in line with other city managers. With the redevelopment of the downtown and of course the new Vulcan mining proposal, he probably has his hands full.

[my2kidsmom]

“In Line with other city managers” Not sure I understand this logic, is our city better than Glendora, La Verne, Walnut, San Dimas, and so on. We have a huge problem with public workers who work for us the tax payers, and we in Azusa have a huge problem with many things…Such Gang violence, graffiti, and so on. I for one have not received a 5% raise this year or last year. It is our money, we are the tax payers, he works for us, yes he should be in line with other cities, but we should also be in line with other cities and we are not.

[highlander]

Azusa faces much more difficult challenges moving forward with Rosedale housing development, downtown redevelopment and the Vulcan issue, in comparison to Glendora, La Verne etc. To hire and retain a leader with experience and pay him in line with with what other neighboring cities pay their city managers isn't really too much.

[my2kidsmom]

All cities are facing difficulties during these economic struggles, not only Azusa…as a business owner and tax payer I too have challenges to face daily, but as many of us who are in the same boat who don’t have a secure job with a secure pension, and 5% increase in salary do worry about the salaries we pay public employees. We as tax payers have the right to question such high salaries, especially in these economic struggles we are all facing.

[highlander]

Again, IMO, in comparison to the neighboring cities, Azusa has much tougher challenges which are even more compounded because of the bad economy. Secondly, even in a bad economy, one can not discount competition, especially where the need for experience and, even more importantly, supply and demand will be the final deciding factor. But I do agree overall that compensation for public employees is too generous and should be questioned.

[MrBIZ]

Do you really care that much? It's not like they are stealing the money. Be happy for people and don't be jealous because they are making a GOOD LIVING. Would you sleep better at night if the Men and Women who serve our city were POOR? I believe I speak for most when I say that the Leaders of Azusa have worked very diligently in the last 5 years to make this city 10 times more beautiful than it was. You must be new to Azusa because it used to be a gang infested drug/gang town with old run down buildings and NOW LOOK! I think our city leaders have done a GREAT job and earned every dime of there salary. Stop putting your energy into ruining livelihoods and GET INVOLVED!!! This post really disgusted me!