By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 5, 2021 | Over the years, GwinnettForum has championed a more adequate salary for the chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission.
Brack
One of our Continuing Objectives for Gwinnett County, published in each issue, is: “21st century salary for the Gwinnett County Commission members.” For several reasons, which we have never understood, the county has failed to act on this objective over the last few years.
Now at long last, the Gwinnett County Commissioners have passed a resolution seeking a higher salary for the chairman of the Commission. The chairman now is paid a salary of $76,266, an inadequate salary that was last changed in 2007. And consider that this is a full-time job, seven days a week. nThat is far too low for that position which oversees over 5,000 employees and in a county with a budget of $1.9 billion dollars. (Yes, billion.)
The recent Commission resolution suggested that the chairman’s salary be $136,011, which is the base salary of sheriffs of counties with more than 500,000 people. Why they would compare it to a sheriff’s salary is beyond me.
While that change would be a step in the right direction, we see the chairman’s job as significantly more important than the sheriff, or any other elected official in the county. With Gwinnett County having a population of approaching one million people, we could see a salary of $200,000 as adequate for such responsibilities. We see no reason why we should not reward our top county official with the highest salary of any county commission in the state. After all, Gwinnettians demand and deserve good leadership. The position, not an easy job, is worth $200,000. We expect the very best from our county commission chairman, and we should reward that person with a significant compensation.
Hendrickson
No leader of a private business of such a size would work for such a current paltry salary. Gwinnett needs to adopt a salary for its chairman that is at least in line with the pay scale of comparable chairs of other counties. For instance, the chairman in Cobb County makes $135,125, while the Clayton chair’s salary is $167,021.
By coincidence, the two most populous counties in the state (Gwinnett and Fulton) pay their chairs of the county commission inadequately. The chairman of the Fulton County Commission, Robb Pitts, makes only $50,735.
Meanwhile, the pay of the four Gwinnett district commissioners is $48,308 and is considered a part time job. Their salaries were last raised in 2016. Charlotte Nash, the chair of the commission at that time, asked that her salary not be raised, since she was already drawing a pension from the county as a retired staff member. She had previously retired as the county administrator.
Consider too the compensation for the county administrator, who works side-by-side with the chairman. The salary of Glenn Stephens, the administrator, is $344,851.
Remember, too the salaries that Superior Court judges in Gwinnett are paid. With their state salary and local supplement, the judges make $187,460.
It’s good to see movement in raising the salary of the county commission chairman. Now pray that the increase in salary will be comparable for the job.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us