Mayor Paul Fraim - A Generous Man

Mayor Paul Fraim is a generous man. Or he's a mayor who, on the eve of his retirement, is feeling generous.

Fraim wants Norfolk City Council members to get a raise. But it could take years for the pay raises to take effect, long after Fraim has retired.

State law sets the salaries of city council. For city council members to see a pay increase, legislators would have to amend the law. Then Norfolk City Council would have to approve an ordinance raising the pay based on the change in legislation.

“I'm glad to go to Richmond and argue for it,” Fraim said during the work session of city council Oct. 27. “I think it's clear Council doesn't make enough money and I think we ought to consider it.”

None of the seven city council members objected to Fraim's proposal during the work session. Nor did any of them embrace the idea - at least in front of the camera. 

“I have no preconceived notion about what an increase would look like or whether we are entitled to one,” Fraim said. “The Council hasn't had a raise in ten years,” Fraim said.

The annual salaries of city council members are based on the population of each city, according to Virginia law. (See Editor's Note for Population figures.)

Virginia Beach, with a population of 450,980, pays the mayor $30,000 and each city council member $28,000.

Mayor Fraim's annual salary is $27,000. Each city council member is paid $25,000 a year. 

Portsmouth, with a population of 96,004 pays Mayor Kenny Wright $25,000 while city council members receive an annual salary of $23,000.

Fraim's remarks coincided with efforts to boost the salaries of Richmond City Council members and state legislators.

Earlier this year, legislation created a citizens committee to study pay raises for Richmond City Council members. In its report, issued Nov.2, the committee recommended raises for city council members. Yet the report demurred from saying how much of a raise city council members should receive.

Matthew P. Stanley, chairman of the committee, said the committee is leaving it up to the city and council members to decide how much of an increase they should request, a Richmond Times-Dispatch article said.

Stanley said council members should confer with the other cities in their bracket — Newport News, Chesapeake and Norfolk — about what an appropriate upper range might be, the article said.

An ethics commission initiated by Gov. Terry McAuliffe recommended hiking the pay for state legislators. 


The editorial lists why legislators should get a raise. 
Their salaries are paltry, some state legislators need the money, it's hard for anyone who isn't well-off to serve and legislators used to be paid more than they are now.

 The editorial, however, refrained from listing the compensation they do receive now, such as state-sponsored health insurance and retirement.  
City Council members are also entitled to the same benefits as city employees, such as health insurance and retirement. 

Retirement and health insurance can add up to 30 percent or more in additional compensation for mayors and city council members. 

Neither state legislators nor local officials are full-time government employees. 

Editor's Note: Population figures are based on a 2014 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau.