5 top city executives could see big raises

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and four other top city executives could see their salaries rise to more than $200,000 under a proposal by Mayor Greg Nickels.

Nickels wants the City Council to create a pay grade that would make top city salaries more competitive, in hopes of keeping key officials from being lured away.

The mayor's proposal is aimed at increasing pay for five top employees: Kerlikowske, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, transportation Director Grace Crunican, Seattle Public Utilities Director Chuck Clarke and Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. Their annual salaries range from Dean's $159,999 to Kerlikowske's $175,367.

Currently, the top pay those executives can earn is $181,426. Nickels would increase their potential maximum salary to $214,083. The highest paid city employee now is City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco, who makes $225,057.

With a salary of $153,593, Nickels is the 14th-highest-paid city employee.

Salaries for the nine City Council members range from about $97,000 to $104,000.

Several council members oppose the proposal, saying it's unfair and unnecessary. Council President Nick Licata said he'll vote against it because of growing pay disparities around the country between executives and rank-and-file employees.

What they make now

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is proposing pay raises for five top employees who currently earn the following:

Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis: $169,574

Seattle Public Utilities Director Chuck Clarke: $170,558

Transportation Director Grace Crunican: $170,556

Fire Chief Gregory Dean: $159,999

Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske: $175,367

"It disturbs me that the city is following that trend," Licata said.

The council is scheduled to consider the proposal Monday.

Rich O'Neill, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said he didn't begrudge raises to top city officials — provided the city's 1,200 police officers receive increases of similar proportion.

"We're not seeing those kind of substantial increases. I just want to see this kind of generosity passed down to officers on the street," O'Neill said.

Under the mayor's plan, Kerlikowske's pay could grow by 22 percent, up to $102.53 an hour, based roughly on a 40-hour workweek.

O'Neill, whose union is negotiating a new contract with the city, said his members have been limited to cost-of-living increases in recent years. Starting pay for police-officer recruits is just over $21 per hour, O'Neill said, and the top hourly rate for officers is $32 per hour.

The mayor's proposal would not immediately change any salaries. It would only create a pay grade. Individual raises would be left for the mayor and city Personnel Director Mark McDermott to determine.

The council would not have a say about individual increases; it can only approve, modify or reject the proposed pay grade.

Nickels' proposal was spurred by a consultant's study of city salaries. The study said several city executives, such as Kerlikowske, are close to hitting their pay ceiling — and their maximum salaries are less than what comparable local governments are paying.

The pay cap for King County is $243,576, the study said. For the city of Tacoma it's $193,253, and for San Francisco it's $237,666.

The study also noted that several city executives, such as Clarke, who heads the city's water and solid-waste utility, are paid considerably less than the top four officials at City Light.

Those City Light executives are exempt from existing salary caps because the city-owned utility competes for top talent with other utilities, including private electric power companies.

"There ought to be equity between Chuck's position and Jorge's," said Ken Nakatsu, the mayor's chief of departmental operations.

Nakatsu said he didn't want to comment on equity issues raised by O'Neill of the police officers union, except to say, "we do have a negotiation process for the unions that looks at what comparable positions are paid" in West Coast cities similar in size to Seattle.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com