Quincy voters may get to roll back their mayor's 79% salary bump

Quincy voters will likely get the chance to weigh in this fall on a massive pay raise planned for the mayor.

The City Council last year approved a salary hike that would pay Mayor Thomas Koch $285,000 per year, more than what the mayors of Boston and New York City earn. That sparked a movement that had its first big win this week — a successful signature drive to put a question on the November ballot so voters can decide on the pay increase.

City resident Steven Perdios helped organize the group Quincy Citizens for Fair Raises that collected signatures for the initiative. They knocked on doors with the goal of collecting about 6,000 signatures.

Perdios coached them on what to say to voters: “A year or so ago, the mayor and City Council gave themselves a very hefty pay raise. We are collecting signatures to put a question on the ballot to bring that down to something more reasonable.”

The petition seeks to set the mayor's salary at $183,000 — up from $159,000 now — and to establish annual 2% raises for the mayor and the councilors.

“ We are not looking to cut his pay,” Perdios told the volunteers. “We want our elected officials to be paid well and get fair raises.”

The measure also would go a step further and require voter approval of all pay hikes for elected officials.

Volunteer Meryl Smith, who organizers say collected more than a thousand signatures, said most people were glad to sign, but others were reluctant because they don’t want to be on record going against the mayor.

“We have city workers that are afraid to put their signature on,” she said. "Politics is a funny animal, and you never really know how it’s going to impact your job.”

Koch is the city’s longest-serving mayor, now in his seventh term. The salary controversy began last year, after he commissioned a report on what Quincy’s mayor should earn. The authors cited the salaries of Massachusetts city managers — hired officials who typically earn more than elected mayors — and recommended a range between $300,000 and $370,000.

Koch said that was too high, and asked the City Council to approve a $285,000 salary, which would be 79% more than what he makes now.

Koch’s staffers did not respond to written and in-person interview requests from WBUR. The station tried to reach key city councilors as well, including the current and previous council presidents, and none responded.

The mayor did talk about the pay raise on a city-run podcast last year. In that recording, he touted Quincy as a booming city, of which he is chief executive.

“It's with all humility that I do this, but I've had one raise in 17 years,” he said. “We are a $500 million corporation. We have thousands of employees. We are a 24/7 operation. We have put together an incredible renaissance in the city and development and public parks and schools."

As CEO, Koch said, “I think I'm performing fairly well.”

But unlike a corporation, there’s no board of directors overseeing pay in the state’s seventh-largest city. That’s up to the councilors, and they voted unanimously in favor of the raise.

Some members said Koch was being grossly underpaid for the work he does; others argued Quincy wouldn’t attract the best talent with the current municipal salaries.

Councilors also gave themselves a nice pay bump from $29,000 to $44,500. But after facing blowback, the council decided to delay the raises taking effect until after the next election cycle — meaning councilors who voted for their own raises have to wait until reelection to receive the raise. Similarly, Koch will have to run for reelection to get the increase in 2028.

But the initiative puts Quincy’s mayor on track to make $80,000 more than Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

The wage fight in Quincy highlights a disparity in municipal salaries, with police officers often eclipsing mayors and school superintendents, largely because of overtime pay.

On a recent podcast, Koch said almost  250 Quincy city employees make more than he does. The 10 highest paid are police, and Koch’s wage hike would put him on par with them.

Koch compared his duties and responsibilities with those of executives who earn $750,000.

“ I challenge anyone, look up a number of the nonprofits — they all do great work —and look at the salaries of the heads of these nonprofits,” he said on the podcast. “So this isn't about Tom Koch, it's about the position.”

He said he wasn't suggesting he should take home $750,000. “This is public service. However, I don't think people understand the CEO part of this job. I hire and fire and everything in between.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Quincy Citizens for Fair Raises delivered nearly 7,000 signatures to City Hall — more than enough to put the pay raise to the voters. The City Clerk's office now has to confirm the signatures to get the question on the ballot.

Koch said the ballot question would put his salary on par with Holbrook's town manager.

"It's just absurd," Koch said on his podcast.

He said those seeking to reverse the wage hike aren't his supporters anyway. Still, the November elections could be a referendum on his leadership, and that of the City Council. Koch has three years left in his current term, and several councilors are being challenged for their seats.