I am writing in reference to the Feb. 4 Redmond Reporter article entitled, “City council approves pay raise for next mayor in 2012.” 
It seems that with little public participation in city elections and solid backing from the business community, Mayor John Marchione will be the next mayor in 2012. 
In truth, the city council has given Marchione an 18 percent pay raise for his next term. This is in contrast to the 20 city employees that were laid off and those remaining forwent their 2 percent annual cost of living adjustment in order to balance the 2011-2012 budget. 
The best explanation for this was that the mayor makes less than his department staff. This excuse has limited merit. An elected Mayor jumps to the head of the management structure but certainly not the pay structure. 
Department heads and key staff have strong education, training, and experience backgrounds that keep the city running year to year with elected officials coming and going. In addition, regular compensation increases to elected officials simply results in career politicians who have more incentive to better themselves and their supporters, rather than focus on real public service to those without the means to contribute to campaigns.  The real message the mayor is sending is that he is more important than the city employees as a whole.   
In terms of the budget, there were certainly winners and losers. The clear winner was the business community, who won again by essentially avoiding increases to the business head tax or making it fours without an increase. 
In 2007, it was estimated that the Redmond Business Head Tax was approximately half of similar taxes in the city of Bellevue.  Next, Mayor Marchione, if re-elected, is also a winner now that he has secured his 18 percent pay increase in this difficult economy and has incentivized the business community to support him for another election year. The Budgeting by Priorities consultants were also winners; they have received $281,308 since 2008. 
With all of these winners, who are the losers? The losers are the current and former city employees who have given up their inflation adjustments or their jobs entirely. Other losers are citizens paying the water and waste water rates over the next two years. These are people from all income levels who are now paying out 10.25 percent and 4 percent respectively for these rates after an increase that also occurred two years ago. These taxes are the most regressive in that they impact the fixed income or most vulnerable populations. 
Finally this is an election year — don’t let them get away with this — run for mayor, run for council. 
Jim Robinson, Former Redmond City Councilmember