'I value my time:' Jackson council nearly quadruples its salaries
JACKSON - Elected officials will see their paychecks nearly quadruple after the township council controversially voted to increase their salaries this week.
The resolution will increase part-time salaries for four elected council members to $32,000, the first increase since 2006, when council salaries increased to the previous rate of $8,668. The council president seat, currently occupied by Jennifer Kuhn, will provide a $35,000 salary.
The pay raise passed by a 3-to-2 vote along political lines. While municipal offices are nonpartisan, the council is split into factions supporting and opposed to Mayor Michael Reina.
"I value my time. I value each and every council person's time up here," said Council Vice President Scott Sargent, who voted for the pay raise. "We haven't had a raise since 2012, and I'm not sure that's good government."
More: 'It's deception': Monmouth County commissioners secretly gave themselves raises
In May 2023, the council voted unanimously to increase the salary range for council members to a $15,000 limit. In December, they unanimously approved a salary ordinance for multiple jobs which increased the cap for council members at $35,000.
Councilman Steve Chisholm, Jr., said he could support a salary increase if it were tied to a cost-of-living adjustment. But he voted against the quadruple pay raise, tying his nay vote to political ideals, comparing the pay raise to the "reckless spending" of Gov. Phil Murphy and President Joe Biden.
"It's not really a Republican value," Chisholm said. "This is not strictly a leadership position and, yes, our time is worth something and you can value that for what it is, I feel like our founding fathers did: This is a servant leadership position."
While the township council is nonpartisan, all five councilmembers are registered Republican voters and have at various points been active in the Jackson Republican Club.
The council also approved a 4% increase for Reina, whose salary increased to $44,434, and a 2.1% increase for Business Administrator Terence Wall, who will earn $208,563.
Reina, first elected in 2009, saw his salary jump 45% last year, the first raise of his tenure. He also works as a bridge superintendent for the Ocean County roads department, which paid him $105,000 in 2021, according to public records.
More: Jackson mayor becomes double dipper
Two council members also hold jobs on the public payroll: Councilman Nino Borrelli collects a $113,787 salary as a personnel assistant in the New Jersey Department of Human Services, while Sargent collected a $53,121 salary in 2021 as a safety coordinator and stormwater manager in Jackson's public works department, according to public records.
Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and basically whatever else is happening. Contact him at 732-643-4223, mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jackson, NJ, council quadruples own salaries
