Mayor Mark Mallory announced in a memo today that he will not be following through with previously planned salary raises for his staff, citing poor morale in light of recent — but misleading — press coverage. But the rest of his budget plan will remain.
Mallory explained his reasoning in a statement: “I am rescinding the raises that I gave my staff and returning all salaries to the previous levels. Although the changes that I made in my office structure resulted in a saving of $66,000 to be used in next year’s budget, I realize that the perception has had a negative effect on the morale of other City Employees.
“I am the biggest promoter of the public servants who choose to work for the city, both on my staff and in all City Departments. I don’t want to see anyone lose their job. I have been successfully fighting to prevent layoffs throughout the recession. I supported the parking plan because it will ensure that no city employees lose their job. I plan to continue to fight for City Employees and to do everything that I can to minimize the reductions to our City Workforce. Every job that we save is a win for our community.”
The announcement comes after a misleading report from The Cincinnati Enquirer sparked public outrage. The Enquirer‘s original report neglected to say that the overall budget plan would save the city $66,000 for the year and $33,000 during the mayor’s remaining time in office. CityBeat covered Mallory’s budget changes and The Enquirer‘s misleading report here.
This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2013.