Divided Northampton County Council Gives Controller A Raise, Effective 2012

You get what you pay for. That's the decision a sharply divided Northampton County Council reached on December 2, when they increased the Controller's salary from the $39,000 being paid now to $65,000 in 2012.

Although Northampton County's budget next year is $290 million, Controller Steve Barron is only a part-time official. Recent changes in the County's Home Rule Charter will make the job full-time, effective 2012. But the new salary was set at $50,0000, a figure thought too low by five Council members, who raised it to $65,000 when a full-time Controller takes office in two years.

Leading the charge for the payhike were Democrat Ann McHale and Republican John Cusick. McHale pointed to a study done by Human Resources Director Patricia Siemiontkowski, noting a salary range for Controllers in other counties at $60-65,000. Cusick noted that paying such a low salary creates a risk of making the position unattractive to qualified candidates. "My goal behind sponsoring this Ordinance is that whomever decides to run for this office next year will be someone with some accounting background who could bring that to this position," stated Cusick.

United in opposition to this raise were Democrat Lamont McClure and Republican Ron Angle. McClure pointed to a recent increase in Lehigh Valley unemployment. "It's tone deaf of us to be raising the salary at all." He added that if no qualified candidates run, they can always raise the salary in the future.

"Frankly, I don't care whether the next Controller has bookkeeping experience," argued Ron Angle. "I see the Controller as the financial watchdog of the County. That's what that job is. Whether he is a CPA or whatever is irrelevant."

But Angle also noted that whenever he and McClure are on the same side of an issue, "it's usually a loser."

And lose they did. McHale, Cusick, Mike Dowd, Peg Ferraro and Bruce Gilbert voted for to raise the salary to $65,000. Gilbert and Ferraro were swayed by the study showing what other counties pay. And Rev. Dowd noted, "We took a part-time position, made it full-time, and then we say that's the only source of income that person is supposed to be operating within."

Joining Angle and McClure were Tom Dietrich and Barb Thierry.