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— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary
Hoping to score their own big scores in 2028!
A Mark Gerberg image
Tonight the Quincy City Council is expected to approve a stupefying 89% raise on W-2 and pension setting bases for Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch.
The council will also ponder the mayor’s surely but coincidental proposal for Quincy’s city councillors to score a lesser but still substantial 58% pop to their pay for a part-time and no heavy-lifting side hustle.
After all, City Hall is what it is.
Voguing at working with French cuffs uncuffed
A file photo
Speaking of side hustles, while said to supposedly be on duty 24/7/365 bbusting his hump on behalf of Quincy locals Mayor Koch has not one but two side hustles: Mayor Koch has been the Chair of the MBTA Advisory Board for over a dozen years as well as is the senior ranking member of the MBTA Board of Directors.
Ridden the T lately?
So far not discussed as regards the impending fat raise for Quincy’s peerless mayor include the following further problems from among many others.
Wicked many more.
Dining at the public trough
An Easy Money Associates/Orion Pictures image
An 89% pay pop late in the mayor’s time dining at the public trough will result in a roughly $1.3 million deficit in what is supposed to be his self-funded pension via paycheck deductions.
Instead, other city employees as well as local taxpayers will be stuck carrying the mayor’s heavy pension benefit shortfall load.
Then again, what is a lousy $1.3 million when just in the case of Mayor Koch’s botching an adverse eminent domain taking of the Adams Academy building, long-suffering local taxpayers are now looking at a hit to the stones to the tune of $15 million to as much as $20 million or more if the court opts slaps the City of Quincy for punitive damages over what was basically grand theft land?
Also formally unaddressed is Local Ordinance 17A, an ordinance which clearly states that local voters have the final say as regards proposed mayoral and council pay raises.
“A friend in need …”
A Cassius Marcellus Coolidge image
In response to this ordinance, the mayor’s consiglieri has curiously asserted via a friendly interview in the local weekly tabloid that 17A is overridden given his curious read of Chapter 39, Section 6A of Massachusetts General Laws even though per a straight read 17A does not appear to contravene 6A.
In fact, easy arguments can be made that 17A only properly enhances the power of the people over their elected officials.
Accordingly, an outside review of these two statutes would be best given readily arguable conflicts of interests for the mayor’s consiglieri.
OK, everyone bark on my command!
Image via Canva
In any event, as for tonight’s performance by council members, expect more caterwauling about how the mayor of the small city that is Quincy deserves to be one of best-paid mayors in the country.
After all, many of the councillors are surely hoping to make their own big scores by succeeding Mayor Koch should he opt to not run for reelection in 2027.
At the same time do not be surprised if the councillors’ trim their proposed 58% raise in the hope that voters will not pillory them in the 2025 council seat elections and when Mayor Koch will not be on the ballot.
Good luck on that grift of a ploy, however.
All in all, about the only unknown for tonight’s council meeting is if Ward 3 Councillor and City Council President Ian Cain shows up tonight.
That and how he will then cast his votes on these proposed porky as well as self-serving outsized pay pops.
“Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”
A file photo
Then again, with Cain running for the Republican US Senate nomination to take on incumbent Senator Elizabeth Warren, he ultimately has little choice other than to vote against the raises via callous wink/wink posings knowing that they will pass without his votes.
Fortunately, no bad deeds go unpunished as Cain is already looking at the likelihood of serious blowback soon enough over certain of his past votes.
Look at Quincy City Council, working hard to ensure Mayor Koch’s pockets are as padded as ever. While the rest of us are tightening our belts, they’re rolling out the red carpet for another hefty pay raise for Hizzoner. Truly inspiring to see our elected officials prioritizing what’s really important: their bank accounts. Maybe next time they can focus on something trivial like, oh, I don’t know, the city’s actual needs. But who needs pothole repairs or better schools when we can have a well-compensated mayor, right? Bravo, Quincy, you’ve outdone yourselves yet again!