Zrinski Spurns Olive Branch Resolution That Would Give Her Authority to Negotiate Salary for Fiscal Director

At last week's Northampton County Council meeting, Executive Tara Zrinski spurned what I will call an "olive branch" resolution that would give her authority to negotiate an appropriate salary for a Fiscal Director. The county has gone without a Fiscal Director since Zrinski assumed office in January. In June, she nominated Deb Watlington, a CPA with 30 years of accounting experience, as the county's new Fiscal Director. County Council conformed her, but at a lower starting salary - $109,632 - than the $125,108 proposed by Executive Tara Zrinski. As a result, Watlington withdrew. 

Zrinski chastised Council, insisting that she, and not Council, has the authority to set the pay. She complained of an "increasingly adversarial dynamic between council and the administration, particularly when it manifests in ways that complicate routine governance functions. It's neither warranted nor productive. Effective government requires mutual respect, adherence to defined roles, and a shared commitment to outcomes over objects."

She went on to argue that negotiating a salary for the Fiscal Director is her role, and her role alone. So she was unwilling to accept an olive branch resolution prepared by Council member Jason Boulette that would have given her the authority to negotiate a salary. 

After her lecture, and despite Council President Ken Kraft's attempt to stop him. Council member Dave Holland asked Council Solicitor Matt Deschler whether Council had acted appropriately by setting the salary at a lower rate than that negotiated by Zrinski. 

"Council acted appropriately." responded Deschler. "I can expand, but that's my conclusion."

Kraft acknowledged that while Council did have the authority to reduce the salary, "it was a rotten thing to do."

Boulette later withdrew his olive branch resolution. He would have hired Watlington at the salary proposed by Zrinski. 

In an email, he explains that his resolution was "a fair compromise. My resolution reaffirmed that County Council is the body with the power and responsibility to set the salaries and wages of employees, but temporarily extended to the Executive the ability to negotiate with potential hires at Step 4 for the Director of Fiscal Affairs position. I believe I could have gotten 5 votes for this resolution. 

"I was disappointed the Administration attacked the resolution as strongly as they did. They made it clear that they did not want the temporary authority this resolution would have extended to them, so I pulled it. 

"I disagree with the Executive's position that Council can only approve or reject nominees without any say in their salary. The Home Rule Charter clearly gives us this power. My resolution will not be the end of this discussion. We will go into this matter more thoroughly at my Governance Committee meeting on July 15th."