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Director’s Salary Too High, Say Multnomah CommissionersThree of five county commissioners are stalling the confirmation of Molly Raphael as director of the Multnomah (Oreg.) County Library because they believe the $138,000 salary offered to her by County Chairwoman Diane Linn is too high.Commissioners Serena Cruz, Lisa Naito, and Lonnie Roberts in a statement published in the August 27 Portland Oregonian newspaper outlined the reasons for their opposition. The salary is out of line with the other six county directors’ salaries, they said, and would create a $44,000 gap between the director and the deputy director and a $95,000 gap between the director and an entry-level librarian. They also claim $138,000 is too high at a time when the county has cut programs and jobs, and when the board pushed for voter passage of a temporary county income tax for social and justice services. The salary reflects a 27% increase over the salary of previous director Ginnie Cooper, at a time when the commission has limited management cost-of-living increases to 0.5%. Linn—who argued her side in the August 23 Oregonian—maintains that the salary was advertised at $115,000 to $145,000 at the recommendation of a national search consultant, and no one on the commission objected during the search. An August 24 editorial supported Linn, who has the sole authority to appoint department directors, although the county charter calls for board consent to make the appointments permanent. Raphael, now director of the District of Columbia Public Library at $129,000 a year, was scheduled to assume the post November 24. Asked by the newspaper if she would consider taking the position at a lower salary, Raphael said, “That’s a conversation I would have with Chairwoman Linn.” Posted September 1, 2003. |
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