[StBernard] Raise for St. Bernard president proposed

[Westley Annis]

Raise for St. Bernard president proposed
St. Bernard voters would have to OK it Friday, May 16, 2008By Bob Warren
The St. Bernard Parish Council has taken the first steps to possibly getting
Parish President Craig Taffaro Jr. a pay raise. 

The council's Executive/Finance Committee on Wednesday heard a pitch from
Councilman Kenny Henderson to put the proposal before parish voters in
November. While a specific amount hasn't been hammered out, Henderson said
he thinks the position should command a salary of at least $100,000
annually. It currently pays $70,000. 

A vote of the council is needed to put the issue on the ballot. The deadline
for the council to get an item on the November ballot is July 25, Henderson
said. 

Although any raise would likely affect Taffaro, who began his term in
January, Henderson said the proposal did not originate with Taffaro. 

Henderson said it's "embarrassing" that Taffaro's salary is much lower than
other parish presidents. "This job is much more than a full-time job," he
said. 

Across the region, salaries for parish presidents range from $123,318 in St.
John the Baptist to $118,318 in Jefferson Parish and $87,140 in St. Charles
Parish. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's salary is $125,095. 

Henderson and other committee members discussed averaging the salaries of
parishwide elected officials such as the sheriff, clerk of court and
assessor and tying the president's salary to that. Those positions all pay
about $98,000. 

Seventy thousand dollars "sounds like a lot, but when you consider all
that's involved, it's not," Councilman Frank Auderer said of the current
salary. 

Taffaro said he will not take a position on the proposal, noting that he ran
for the office knowing that the salary was $70,000. "I won't push for it; I
won't push against it."