Lightfoot defends mayoral pay raise proposal as a cost-of-living increase in line with aldermen; salary bumps would be tied to inflation

Chicago mayors would get annual pay raises under a proposal introduced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot that would tie yearly salary bumps to inflation but cap them at 5%.

The ordinance, introduced this week, would also allow the city clerk and treasurer to take pay increases each year. All three citywide elected officials could opt out for the following year if they choose, mirroring a process used by aldermen who are also eligible for annual raises.

Lightfoot, who previously said she wasn’t “focused” on raising the mayor’s pay, defended the measure by saying it would put citywide elected posts on the same plane as aldermen and arguing that measure shouldn’t be considered a salary increase.

“To be clear, the ordinance that was introduced today would put the mayor, the city treasurer and the clerk in line with (aldermen) regarding a cost-of-living increase,” Lightfoot said. “It’s not a salary increase.”

Under a 2006 city ordinance, aldermen automatically get annual salary bumps tied to the consumer price index, unless they individually turn them down. But unlike Lightfoot’s latest proposal, the system for aldermanic raises does not provide a cap for the inflation-tied raise, meaning the majority of City Council members are in line for a 9.6% pay increase next year because of recent surges in inflation.

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Leading into City Council elections on Feb. 28, 15 aldermen turned down the 2023 pay raise, and multiple council members have introduced pending legislation to restrict their salaries.

The Chicago mayor’s salary is $216,210, a figure that hasn’t changed since 2006. The highest aldermanic pay will grow to about $142,780 next year.

City Clerk Anna Valencia and Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin already stand to see their salaries increase to $161,016 from $133,545 under Lightfoot’s 2023 budget plan.

The inflation-tied salary bumps Lightfoot proposes would take effect in 2024, after those elected next year take office or begin new terms.

Whether Lightfoot’s proposal receives pushback remains to be seen, but politicians tend to avoid boosting their salaries during election years to avoid controversy. Former Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin lost his 2017 reelection campaign in the south suburb after moving to triple his salary, for instance.

Just last month at a news conference, Lightfoot said she had not “raised that issue” of mayoral pay.

“I think there’s conversation around … some of the other citywide elected officials. You’re aware that the mayor’s compensation hasn’t been changed in, I think, almost 20 years,” Lightfoot said. “But that’s not really what I’m focused on. I’m focused on making sure that we do the work of the people of the city every single day.”