Janice Winfrey, the Clerk for the City of Detroit, apparently doesn’t think she makes enough money.
Now, she wants taxpayers in cash strapped Detroit to fit the bill for a raise despite public sentiment favoring less money for politicians and more money for important services.
According to the Detroit News:
“Fresh off a narrow win in November, City Clerk Janice Winfrey is making her case for a $20,000 pay raise.
Winfrey made the pitch for more pay in writing Monday to a compensation panel that’s convening to evaluate the salaries of the Detroit’s elected leaders.
In her letter, Winfrey urged the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission to consider boosting her $78,761 annual salary…”
Mayor Mike Duggan says he has no plans to seek a pay increase for Detroit city leaders this year, and Winfrey is the only one who has asked for a rasie.
Winfrey tells the Detroit News the raise isn’t for her, it’s needed for the integrity of the Clerk’s office. Winfrey just received a 2.5% raise last year.
“The commission, which meets in odd years, last recommended a pay hike for Detroit’s City Council in 2015 as well as a bump for the clerk of 2.5 percent for fiscal year 2016-17. The commission met Thursday for the first time in 2017, but did not discuss Winfrey’s request.
Winfrey told The Detroit News late Thursday that her salary pales next to other Michigan clerks, yet “I have the bulk of the responsibility.”
“I’m not asking for anything excessive. I’m just asking for a fair rate,” she told The News. “I’ve always advocated for fairness in the job. It’s not about me. It’s about the position.”
Within her letter, Winfrey cites a recent compensation survey of comparably sized cities with smaller, less complex clerk operations. The data, she wrote, reveals that Detroit’s clerk is “grossly underpaid.”
