Mayor mum on re-election after raise request
Noble wants 5-year, $25,000 pay hike for his job but won’t say whether he plans to seek 2nd term
Mayor Steve Noble, who recently proposed increasing the mayor’s salary by $5,000 per yer for the next five years, was noncommittal Tuesday about whether he’ll run for re-election next November.
“The dust hasn’t even settled in this year’s election. They are still counting votes in Florida!” Noble wrote in an email when asked if he’ll seek a second fouryear term.
But Noble, a Democrat first elected in 2015, did express a love of his job and said work remains to be done.
“I love what I’m doing right now, and I am very proud of what we as a community are achieving together,” Noble wrote. “In a time when other cities are having to exceed the [property] tax cap, we have been able to lower taxes and offer excellent services.
“However, there is a great deal more to do, including enhancing access to quality housing that is affordable for all Kingston residents, stabilizing and replacing our aging infrastructure, and improving our public transportation, which I look forward to working further on in the coming year,” the mayor added.
Pressed about whether those comments indicated he plans to run, Noble pointed to the past.
“Historically, most mayors have announced their intentions on whether they are running or not in early spring [of the election year],” he wrote. “I would imagine I will do the same.
“Right now, I’m focused on working with my staff and the Common Council to do our jobs,” he added. “I remain absolutely committed
to this work. That is all I wish to discuss as far as re-election prospects at this time.”
The mayor’s current salary is $75,000 per year. Noble has proposed increasing it to $80,000 for 2019, $85,000 for 2020, $90,000 for 2021, $95,000 for 2022
and $100,000 for 2023. If the raises are approved by the Common Council, the $100,000 level would be reached by the mayor elected a year from now.
“After reviewing salary schedules of full-time city administrators and strong mayor forms of government
across the state, I feel that this is an appropriate adjustment, and doing so over five years reduces the impact on the city budget,” Noble stated previously.
Noble did not propose any pay raises for Common Council members but said he “would encourage council
members to discuss the matter.”
The nine ward representatives who make up the council are paid $8,000 per year apiece, and the majority and minority leaders each get an additional $500 per year. The alderman-atlarge, who serves as council
president, receives yearly pay of $10,000. That position currently is held by the mayor’s uncle, James Noble.
The mayor’s proposed city budget for 2019 totals nearly $44 million, maintains the current property tax levy and reduces property tax rates.