In the article he has this to say about being Mayor and deciding to leave:
Moak announced his intent last January to seek re-election. Those plans took a turn when it was made public last month that he was the finalist for a town manager position in Winthrop. He learned at the end of May that he did not get the job.
In the weeks following the announcement, Moak said he reassessed his situation. His job hunt was "so public," the mayor said, and reported heavily in the community.
"I thought, 'Do I really want this life again?'" he said yesterday.
He combined that feeling with his finances and came to his decision, Moak said.
"I did it to stop the bleeding," the mayor said. "I didn't realize how expensive this job is."
The expense of being the city's top elected official grew to be too much, Moak said. As mayor, there are events, fundraisers and banquets to support and contribute to. "To be a good mayor, you have to do those things," Moak said. "You have to support the community."
The mayor earns $65,000 a year, less than half of what the city's highest-paid department heads earn.
Clearly, something needs to be done.
No doubt some will point to the campaigns of Donna Holaday and James Shanley as a sign that the mayor's position still draws talented and able candidates. But can we keep those people in place for more than two or four years so they can put those talents to work? That's the real question. Under the current system or salary structure, it's pretty clear we can't.
1 comment:
people that truly want to be mayor to make newburyport better will apply despite the salary, those that want the job as a career move would want the raise the salary. its about civic duty, not making it a career...
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